The Way You Are series
by corneroffandom
Summary: Short Zack/Dolph stories.
1. Comfort

_What are you doing now that you're retired, bro?_

_How long ago did WWE fire you?_

_Where will we see you next?_

Zack Ryder glowers down at his Twitter account, scanning various tweets sent to him recently. He's not sure if it's some sort of prank he's not privy to, or if everyone is just this stupid that they can't search WWE's roster pages on the website, but he's really tired of trying to convince people he's still with the WWE. Maybe for not much longer, at the rate things are going, but still...

"Are you trying to break that phone with the power of your mind?" a teasing voice asks him, warm hands resting against his as they pry the device out of his tense fingers. "What has you so hot?" Zack's jaw works angrily as he looks away, Dolph Ziggler skimming the phone, all hilarity leaving him as he realizes just how ridiculous some of the assumptions being made have become. "Oh... kid."

"It's nothing," he mutters, reaching out to take his phone back. "Just the usual stupidity. Could you-?" But Dolph holds the phone away from him, staring through more of the tweets, wincing at some of the more extreme ones. "Bro-"

"Kid, just-" He dodges his hands, continuing to read more of the short messages sent from the WWE Universe. "Good God." He skims through some more before Zack stands up and uses his slight height advantage to reach out and snag Dolph's hand, pulling the phone from his fingers. "Kid!"

"Stop reading the-... c'mon, you get a bunch of stupid tweets too, just- I don't want you reading this crap." He powers his phone down and stuffs it in his pocket, sitting down again, his back now to Dolph.

Dolph swallows and stares at him for a long moment before walking up to him and hugging him around the shoulders, kissing the side of his face. "Sorry, kid. I guess it's a little harder for you, huh, since you were the Internet champion, and you started the whole social media frenzy... now this all happens and it's kind of hard for you to avoid reading it, right?"

"Yeah." He leans into Dolph's warmth and releases a faint breath. "I guess they think it's funny to tweet this crap to me so often... which makes sense, I am basically just a joke anymore..." Ziggler stares at him, shaking his head softly as he continues trailing kisses along his cheek and across to his mouth until he quiets his words, Zack mumbling against his lips. "What was that for, bro?" he asks, a little dazed, once Dolph pulls away, smiling at him.

"You're not a joke to me, and I hate when you start talking like that about yourself. C'mon, kid. You're really going to let a few braindead tweets get the better of you? Just ignore them, they're not worth your time..." He stands up and grips Zack's hand, tugging him upright once more. "Let's get some sleep, alright? It's been a long day and you look pretty wiped out."

"So do you," he concedes, allowing himself to be dragged to the bedroom. They take their turns in the bathroom, Zack laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling while Dolph takes a quick shower, his physical and emotional exhaustion weighing him down like a heavy blanket.

When the platinum blond exits the bathroom nearly ten minutes later, rubbing a towel through his hair, he smiles upon finding Zack fast asleep on the bed. He finishes drying his hair and lays down next to him, kissing him softly before pulling the sheets up to cover them both. Snuggling closer, he wraps his arm around Zack's midsection and squeezes him slightly. "Night, kid. I love you."

_The arena looks weird. Cold, empty. Faded, somehow. Like he's looking at it through someone else's eyes. Zack frowns and enters anyway, even the door's slam sounding muted. He glances around with a grimace. Nothing looks right and it scares him. He squares his shoulders and continues to walk, not understanding. Techs are racing around, doing this and that, but none of them seem to be noticing him. "Hello?" he offers experimentally to one of the referees as he rushes past. "Hey, Charles, bro, what's the hurry?"_

_The man doesn't respond and he winces, wondering if he'd done or said something to get on his bad side. "Great," he mutters, wandering towards the locker room. Miz walks past, busy on his phone, and Zack pauses. "Hey, bro! What-" But Mike turns the corner and is gone, not even bothering to look up, and Zack's eyes widen. "What, no one's even going to look at me?" Muttering to himself, he pushes the locker room door open angrily and looks around at the various people scattered inside. "Hey, what's happening, bros?" he calls out as loud as he can, once more freezing when absolutely no one reacts. "Are you serious, bro? What'd I do? Why are you all ignoring me?"_

_No matter what he does, waving his arms in front of faces, calling people's names right in their ears, no one notices. No one looks. No one cares. A horrified shiver creeps down his spine and he sits down, burying his face in his hands. He remains there until the door slams open once more, Dolph himself coming in and talking cheerfully into his cell phone. He sits not far from where Zack is at, the broski looking over at him as he finishes the conversation and hangs his phone up, digging around in his bag to find his gear. It's so familiar that it almost hurts somewhere deep in Zack's chest as he stands up and walks towards him, almost ready to throw his arms around him when Miz returns and drops down next to Dolph. "Sucks that Zack's gone, huh?"_

_"Yeah, well, the writing was on the wall a long time ago, no one just wanted to have to be the one to tell him," Miz says with such ease that Zack's jaw drops in disbelief._

_"No, no, no," he mumbles. "Not you too! Bro, I'm right here, can't you see-?!" He reaches out for Dolph but his touch is ignored, Ziggler not even twitching in response. "Dolph!"_

"Hey! Kid, whoa, whoa, it's ok, I'm here. Shhh." Warm arms are wrapped around him, soft breath tickling against his cheek, and he slowly gasps for air as Dolph soothes him. "Calm down, it was just a nightmare, kid. Breathe."

"No one could see me," he chokes out, clinging to Dolph. "No matter what I did, who I tried talking to, it's like I just... I just wasn't there..." He trembles and shivers in Dolph's arms. "I'm there, dammit, why can't anyone see me anymore?"

"I can," he whispers to him, brushing his fingers through his sleep-limp hair. "I always can, kid. It was just a dream, you're not invisible. We see you, those of us who really matter have always seen you."

Zack sighs and buries his face in Dolph's hair, sniffing morosely. "I guess." He sits up and cups Dolph's face, staring deep into his eyes. "Thanks, bro. I love you too." He leans in and kisses him softly, smirking when Dolph takes control, digging his fingers into Zack's arms as he pulls him closer, the kiss growing more intense.

"You heard me, huh?" he asks, pulling away after a couple of minutes.

"I always hear you." Zack smiles at him, brushing his fingers through his hair. "Thanks, bro." He ducks his head in embarassment, groaning softly at the reaction he'd had to such a ridiculous dream. "And thanks for always taking care of me."

"My pleasure," Dolph tells him lowly, kissing the side of his neck. "Do you want to try sleeping again?" Zack nods slowly and Dolph smiles. "Good, kid. Now c'mon. Just remember, if something happens, I'm here. I'm always gonna be here."

"I know." He sighs and leans into him, closing his eyes with a small smile. "'Night."


	2. Fashion Statement

Dolph Ziggler groans as he's helped backstage, referees careful not to put too much pressure on his back as they walk him past the gorilla position. His hair is in front of his eyes, blocking his vision so he can't see, but when warm hands join the referee's, he doesn't have to look to know who it is. "Kid."

"Hey, bro, c'mon, let's get you to the trainer's, huh?" Zack's arms are supporting but gentle around him as he leads him back through the halls, listening to him breathing raggedly with a frown.

"Sorry your shirt got ruined," Dolph mutters, staring down at the ground as he struggles to put one foot in front of the other. "Sandow is such a jackass..."

"Don't worry about it, bro, I'll give you as many of them as you want. It just meant a lot that you would wear that here, since I wasn't booked." Zack squeezes his side before he needs a hand free to push the trainer room's door open, directing Dolph inside and to a free cot so his back can be looked at.

"Of course I wore it, you think I'm gonna let people forget about you if I can help it?" He grunts faintly as the few remaining strips of his clothes rubs against his battered back, adding to his agony. "I wish I could do more to..." He closes his eyes and sighs as laying down only intensifies his pain, his teeth gritting against it.

Zack kneels down next to the cot so they're eye to eye and smiles sadly at him. "You do more than anyone else, bro. And it means more than you'll probably ever know." He rubs Dolph's arm, trying to distract him from his pain while they wait for the trainer to come and make sure he's going to be ok. Dolph blinks wearily at him, tilting his head as Zack leans forward and kisses him. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me," he mumbles, brushing his fingers against Zack's jaw. "I'd do anything for you, kid."

"I know, bro." Zack reaches up and squeezes his hand, smiling slightly. He stays there, by the cot, until the trainer comes in. He brushes his fingers against Dolph's palm before getting to his feet and moving aside so the trainer has plenty of room to examine Dolph's back. It seems to take forever, the trainer saying very little as he examines the various wounds along his spine from the street fight. Finally he straightens up and makes a couple of notes on a nearby form, Zack returning to Dolph's side and helping him to sit up when the trainer says he can get dressed, wincing sympathetically when he sees the pain etched on his face. They sit side by side, Zack pulling a blue shirt out of his bag and draping it over his shoulders, guiding his arms into the sleeves before he buttons it up. "How's that feel?"

"It's alright," he says, rocking forward slightly. "I'll be fine until we get back to your apartment." With their being in Long Island, there's no reason to book a hotel, Zack's apartment only a short drive away, and Dolph's never been more relieved for that fact as he is tonight. After the trainer tells them what he recommends- rest and pain killers, ice, yada- they leave, Zack leading the way back to his car. Dolph sprawls out in the backseat, so he can lay on his stomach and not put weight on his injuries, blinking sleepily as he listens to Zack humming to the boyband music playing lightly on the radio. He almost doesn't notice when they arrive, but he does note when Zack's fingers are brushing through his hair, pressing soft kisses against his forehead to wake him up. "I'm not asleep," he slurs.

Zack laughs. "Sure, bro, you were wide awake the entire car ride." He helps him to sit up, giving him a minute to brush the sleep out of his eyes before leading him inside. "Go get in bed, I'll be there in a minute after I put our bags somewhere you won't trip over them."

Dolph nods drowsily, leaning in to kiss Zack before following his suggestion.

Zack hums, dropping the luggage in the coat closet before grabbing a bottle of water and heading into the bedroom. He pauses in the doorway, smiling at Dolph's back. Venturing over to the bed, he trails his hands across Dolph's shoulders and down, careful against the faint marks along his flesh. "In case you get thirsty overnight, bro," he says, resting the bottle on the bedside table. "This way you won't have to get up for it."

"Thanks." He blinks tiredly, face half-buried in his pillow, when Zack presses a soft kiss to his shoulder, settling in next to him on the bed. "Kid?"

"Yeah?" Zack leans forward, lightly pressing his fingers against his spine, massaging him gently. "Don't worry, I'll take it easy, bro. But if I start to hurt you, let me know."

"Mm, yeah." He sighs sleepily. "I really did like that shirt, y'know. It smelled like your stupid body spray, and whenever I was in Las Vegas, it was like having you still with me... Damn Sandow."

Zack's eyes soften as he continues to work out the tension in Dolph's back, sending him further towards sleep. "Here," he whispers after a few minutes, Dolph's eyes nearly shut entirely. He slows the massage before removing his hands completely and standing up, crossing the room to look through his closet for a few moments. "Come on," he mutters, finally finding a shirt that he'd actually worn recently, the lingering scent of his aftershave blatant. "Voila." He turns back around. "Here you go, bro-" His voice dies away when he realizes that Dolph's fallen asleep, his lips parted slightly as he breathes deeply. "Well, damn. I guess I'm a better masseuse than even I knew." He smiles and walks back over to the bed, laying the shirt against Dolph's arm, wondering if it's close enough to be a comfort to him.

When Ziggler shifts and grabs the article of clothing, pressing it close to his face, Zack chuckles and leans in, lightly kissing him on the lips before shutting the lights off and laying down next to him, watching him sleep. "Good night, bro."


	3. Splinter

_Take the ferry to Seattle, they said. It'll be fun, they said. _Zack Ryder grimaces, staring out at the cool blue water awaiting him. He knows he needs to go, time is slipping through his fingers, but it's just hard sometimes to get the urge to move. He's on a terrible losing streak, and the only thing he has to look forward to with these events most times are Dolph, getting to talk face to face with him, holding him as they drift off to sleep, kissing him when they're alone. But things had been rankling at him today, his phone not helping much. Seemed every time he'd looked at it, he'd seen a new tweet from Dolph to something- Applebees, there was even one to Alex Riley, of all the damn things, that seemed this side of flirtatious.

Dolph flirting with a restaurant is one thing- the guy has a healthy appetite, so what, Zack does too, though his tastes aim more towards Chipotle- but Alex Riley? _What the hell is with that?_ Zack gnaws at his lip as he traces circles in his phone's screen, shaking his head. With their lifestyle, their relationship had always had steep ups and downs, with few easy patches in between- the Eve and AJ periods the utter lowest for them both- but he thoughts things were, for the most part, going ok between them. Their shared frustration with their roles in the WWE had always been one of many things they'd shared common ground, but Alex... well, he has his own frustrations too, so Zack could almost _see,_ but... "No," he mutters. "He wouldn't do that to me... right?"

He looks down once more, eyes resting on the clock flashing on his phone's screen, and he curses darkly, grabbing his bag and finally running down the dock to where the ferry's waiting, ignoring the people who yell at him as he races past them, only just missing knocking into them. How he makes it before the boat takes off, he's not sure, imagining some ridiculous movie situation where he'd have to take a running leap just to not miss it entirely and get fined or worse for not making it to the event. But no, it's merely sitting there, Cody Rhodes staring incredulously at him as he races aboard, immediately bending over and gasping for breath, wheezing slightly.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demands as a few others scattered around come closer, curious to see what Zack's gotten himself into now.

"I... uh." Zack grasps around for a likely excuse, not wanting the entire locker room to know that he'd almost missed boarding because of Dolph's tweets to Alex. "I had a splinter," he finally says, holding to the story even when he seems the impatient incredulousness on everyone's faces. "Sorry." As the group disperses, he's relieved to walk off and head below, where he can put his bag until the trip is done to ensure it stays dry. He's just walked to the bottom of the steps when he sees a familiar flash of blond, instinctively turning towards it.

It's one of those moments that are so common to them, Dolph looking up at the same time Zack notices him, their eyes locking. Immediately his face lights up and he puts his phone away. "Kid, it's about time you made it," he exclaims, walking up to him and drifting an arm lazily around his shoulder. "Cutting it a little close, aren't you?"

"I had a splinter," he says dumbly, physically melting into Dolph's touch even as his mind whirls with doubts, green eyes boring into Dolph's blue.

"Seriously?" Dolph immediately grips his hands and leads him over to a wooden bench, pushing him to sit down. He numbly does so, watching in confusion as his boyfriend sits down next to him and pats his legs. "Feet up."

"What, no, it's ok-" But Dolph's not being persuaded so Zack concedes, resting his feet on the other man's thighs, watching as Dolph carefully removes his sandals and begins searching his flesh, fingers gentle on the sides and heels of his feet. Zack has to hold his breath, not wanting to squirm even though he's almost painfully ticklish. "Bro-"

"I told you not to wear sandals on the dock," he chides him. "Though I was thinking more along the lines of jellyfish or something... Well, your feet seem ok."

"I already got it out, bro, that's why I was late," Zack mumbles, feeling guilty. Ever since he'd explained the scars on his chest, quite a few of their colleagues had been almost scared to be around him, as if something that had been part of his life over ten years ago could break him now- and yeah, sometimes he still gets scared when he feels crappy, or whatever, but it doesn't affect his day to day life. Dolph, although never treating him much differently, had clearly been shaken by the story, the realization that he might've never had the chance to meet Zack if things had gone even a little differently clearly affecting him still. So although he's still a little more than brash and mocks Zack more often than not, when injuries, even minor ones like a _splinter _comes around, he's right there, where before he might've brushed it off as soon as he was sure Zack was ok.

"Yeah? Ok, well... maybe you should check with the trainer, make sure it's cleaned out, wouldn't want it to get infected, or-"

"Bro!" Zack gasps out, gripping his hands and finally making him stop stroking his feet. "Damn. Just, just stop, ok? I'm fine. I promise." They're staring at each other, Zack shaking his head slowly. "I'm fine, alright? There wasn't- wasn't a splinter, not really. I just didn't want to admit the truth... it's stupid. I know it's- it's nothing, but just-"

"What is it, Zack?" Dolph frowns at him, not understanding why Zack would lie, especially with something as ridiculous as claiming he'd been late because of a _splinter._ "What's going on?"

"I saw your tweet to A-Ri," he finally admits. "It... uh, it's dumb, but..."

Dolph's eyes immediately gleam. "You were jealous?" When Zack remains stubbornly silently, he throws his head back and laughs. "You were _jealous!_ Oh, Kid, that's adorable." But he quickly realizes that Zack's not laughing and turns to stare at him, his mirthful grin slowly fading away. "Zack, you can't be serious. Alex? You thought I was-? Why would I ever? I mean, he's a nice enough guy, I guess, but come on." Zack shrugs, still not looking at him, and Dolph sighs, putting his feet back on the ground so he can scoot closer to him. "Talk to me, kid."

"I dunno," he sighs. "It's stupid, I know, but he's on the road more than I am, and he has the same kind of frustrations we do, so I guess I just thought, maybe..."

Dolph rolls his eyes and leans closer to Zack, shaking his head. "Hell no. For one thing, there's a lot more to us than our shared frustration with the higher ups in WWE. For another, I don't see myself buying a vacation home to be closer to Florida, now do you?" Zack makes a small noise and Dolph cups the back of his head, forcing him to look him in the eye. "For another, he was best friends with _Miz_. That's all I need to know about him." He laughs softly, hovering a few inches away from Zack's lips as he strokes his jaw with warm fingers. "Besides, I'd never give Alex a room in my house for all of his damn sneakers like I did for someone's toys..."

"Well, I would hope not, bro," Zack says, looking much more cheerful now. "Alright, I'm sorry I was being stupid for a little bit there."

"Just a little bit?"

"Haha," he mutters, all doubts and insecurities fading away as Dolph tugs him closer and kisses him, both grinning into each other's mouths.

Zack's good mood isn't even diminished when Cody takes it upon himself to tweet about his almost missing the ferry due to a splinter a few hours later.


	4. Alone

Zack sighs, relieved to be back at home after another night spent backstage, not getting booked. Backstage boring since Dolph is still at home, recovering from his concussion, he'd decided to watch Raw from the sidelines, wanting a minute to absorb the crowd's enthusiasm directly... which had backfired spectacularly when a picture of him leaning against one of the walls had been put on Twitter, growing into something of a meme within hours.

The apartment is quiet, dark, so he ventures inside carefully and drops his bag quietly in the closet, toeing his sneakers off so he can walk silently through the hall to the bedroom. It's empty and he frowns, noting that the bed is untouched. He wonders if Dolph had perhaps returned to Nevada, or gone to stay in his summer home in New Jersey for some reason, but he knows this is wrong when he peeks into the living room, his lips twitching up fondly.

Dolph is sprawled out on the couch, an arm thrown over his chest as he breathes in deeply, sleeping hard. He'd clearly stayed out here the last few days, abandoned dishes and take out boxes scattered around that Zack makes a face at but decides to give him a pass on, considering he still gets dizzy sometimes.

Clearing a place on the table in front of the couch, Zack sits down and rests a hand on the side of Dolph's face, stroking his sleep-warmed skin until he stirs, turning towards him. "Hey, bro," he whispers, waiting to see if Dolph really _is_ awake. He doesn't say anything for a bit so Zack grins slightly as he shakes his head fondly and carefully pulls away, leaning over to scoop up some of the trash to take to the garbage can. By the time the table surface is visible, Dolph has rolled over and buried his face in the cushions, allowing Zack some room to sprawl out next to him, staring up at the ceiling.

He's just started to doze off, tired from traveling, when Dolph rolls back over and wraps an arm around Zack, burying his face in Zack's shoulder. He chuckles softly and tilts his head, blowing some of Dolph's stray blond strands out of his face before closing his eyes, curling his fingers around Dolph's wrist. He's not sure how much time has passed when he pieces together the energy to pry his eyes open again, but Dolph is awake and staring at him, smirking. "'Morning, bro," Zack murmurs, rubbing at his eyes before rolling over so that they're face to face, leaning in to kiss him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he shrugs. "I'm normally _not_ dizzy now... so you know, progress. I hope I get cleared soon."

"Me too," Zack hums, blinking when Dolph slips his fingers into the front pocket of Zack's jeans. "Whoa, bro, what are you doin-" He falls silent when Dolph surfaces with Zack's phone, staring determinedly at it. "What-" He's interrupted once more when the phone is thrust into his face, that damned picture of him standing alone, watching the show, visible on it. He releases a blustery sigh and sits up, taking the phone from Dolph. "Fine, let it out, bro. What joke have you thought of that the Internet hasn't sent me a million times in the last few hours?"

Dolph sits up a second later and wraps his arms around Zack, squeezing his sides. "Nothing," he says honestly. "At least, not right now. Maybe later. Just wanted to let you know, after I'm cleared, if you want to go stand in the arena and watch, let me know. I'll come with... unless you're watching _my_ match, of course. Alright?"

Zack pauses for a long moment, touched by the offer. "Yeah, bro," he mumbles. "I'd like that."

"Good." Dolph presses a kiss to the back of his neck before glancing over Zack's shoulder at the table and floor. "Hey, this room looks too clean for my having been here the last few days... guess you've been busy, huh?"

Zack nods absently, stroking his arm. "You didn't have to sack out on the couch, you know, bro. My bed's a lot more comfortable..."

Dolph shakes his head, hugging Zack tighter. "It feels weird without you there with me," he says simply. "Besides, this couch isn't that bad, I like it."

"Alright, bro, I guess..." Zack laughs as Dolph kisses him. "Now that I'm home though, you'd be alright with sleeping in my bed again, right? My flight was the worst, and it looks so welcoming right now..."

"Lead the way," Dolph agrees, allowing himself to be dragged to his feet and through the apartment. When he settles on the bed, Zack rolls towards him, releasing a soft sigh as he pulls the sheets up, tucking them both in. They grin at each other before closing their eyes, the warmth of not feeling lonely for the first time in days lulling them into the best sleep they've had since Zack had to fly out for the events.


	5. Return

Zack can't remember the last time he was on TV. Houseshows, yeah, sometimes, but actual TV time, a match and _maybe_ a promo, or whatever... nope. So when he is alerted that he's been booked for Raw, he has to reread it a few times just to make sure. "Siiiiiick," he whispers, his lips twitching as he goes to pack.

Dolph, who's been cleared from his latest concussion for a couple weeks by now, is already ready for his flight out the next morning so, when Zack comes out and drops his suitcase by the door with Dolph's, the Show Off blinks in some confusion. "Kid? You going somewhere?" he asks, only making it half off of the couch before Zack's phone is thrust into his face and he collapses back against the couch cushions, taking the device and reading the words filling the screen. "Kid! You got booked!"

"Yep," Zack nods, settling in next to Dolph on the couch. He smirks as Ziggler leans over and kisses him lazily. "About time, huh?" He runs his fingers through Dolph's hair as he nods and nuzzles into the broski's side.

"Traveling isn't the same without you, that's for sure," he mumbles. Zack grins into his hair as they rest there, considering what tomorrow might bring.

Finally spotting the clock as it ticks closer to 11 PM, he nudges Dolph. "C'mon, bro, let's get to bed before we fall asleep here and end up cranky and sore for our flight tomorrow. Not to mention the matches..." Getting to his feet, he grips both of Dolph's hands and draws him up to his feet, grinning as Ziggler grumbles and swats at him, wanting to fall back asleep. "In a minute, bro," he consoles him, urging him on into the bedroom. Dolph kicks his shoes off and watches as Zack wanders around, dropping off his phone onto the table before settling into his side of the bed. Rolling over, he makes a face at Dolph's back before gripping his arm and tugging him down into the sheets, cocooning them both in the warmth. "Goof, falling asleep sitting up," he teases him slightly before pulling him closer. "Night, bro."

The comfort of knowing he'll at least be on TV the next night filling him with warmth, he has a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time.

-x

"Hey, have you seen Zack?" Dolph asks a few techs, frowning when they shake their heads, turning back to their work to keep Raw airing properly as he walks off. "Where are ya, kid?" They had flown in hours earlier, the show's on currently, and he's pretty sure Zack's match is next. He sighs and buries his hands in his pockets, still looking around for him, when he hears something soft coming from the shadows. Hesitating, not sure if he's hearing things or not, he glances around before shuffling towards the sound. He has a match against the Wyatts later, which has his paranoia skyrocketing, so heading into the darkness seems like a very bad idea, but something draws him in anyway.

He swallows and squints towards the sound, eyes widening when lights flash just so, reflecting off of something familiar... something purple. "Kid?" he whispers. There's a choked gasp and he winces, walking closer. "You alright?"

"Sure, bro, I'm fine," Zack whispers back. "What are you d- doing?"

Dolph ignores the question, certain that it's obvious what he's doing. He knows all too well what Zack sounds like when he's emotional, so he cups the broski's face and sighs when he feels fresh tears dripping down his lips. He doesn't say anything, feeling Zack tense under his fingers, probably expecting to be mocked for this. "Your match is next," he says quietly.

"Oh, right, of course." Zack doesn't move though and Dolph sighs, brushing his face off with gentle fingers.

"C'mon, kid, Titus isn't _that_ bad of an opponent." He grins, eyes shining sympathetically. "Not enough to cry over anyway." When Zack huffs out a laugh, Dolph's eyes light up.

"You're awful, bro."

"Still made you laugh," he shrugs, smirking at Zack.

"I wasn't... back here because I was upset. It's just been... a long time, you know?"

"I know. Come on, get out there and knock 'em dead, kid."

"Alright," he sighs, allowing Dolph to grip his hand and drag him out into the glow of the gorilla position. Still shrouded by the shadows, he tugs Dolph back and kisses him, long and deep. "Thanks, bro."

Dolph nods dazedly, watching him square his shoulders and walk out just as his music hits.


	6. Beaten Down

Zack gets beat by Titus O'Neil. His ribs hurt. He has a headache, but worse than all of that, he's just disgusted with himself. His first time on TV and he blows it like that. Watching the rest of Raw is a struggle, even Dolph's music drawing him out of his funk only a little. He rests his face in his hands and watches as the Wyatt family decimates Dolph and his two partners, Kofi and R-Truth, until finally eaking out the win after a brutal looking clothesline from Harper and Bray kissing Dolph's forehead to lead into the Sister Abigail.

The Shield stuff disinterests Zack so he gets to his feet and trudges through the hall, careful to keep his distance as the Wyatts make their way backstage, Bray's precious rocking chair being dragged backwards by Rowan. Once they're gone, he goes closer to the curtain and watches as the referee helps Dolph backstage, a trainer lurking nearby. Zack joins them and follows them to the office, forcing a smile through the exhaustion when Dolph looks up and stares at him before his head drops back down against his chest.

Zack is worried. He'd only had a concussion a few weeks ago, and the clothesline had been wicked enough. Add to it Sister Abigail and he could imagine everything being aggravated, Dolph's return shortlived. He sits as close to the cot that Dolph's settled in and finds his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Hey, bro."

"Hey, kid," he responds lowly, squeezing Zack's fingers. They sit quietly as the trainer wanders around and does his thing, preparing to test Dolph for concussion symptoms and whatever else. "You ok?"

Zack looks up in surprise and then smiles. "Yeah, I'm fine." But Dolph's fingers prodding into his abdomen shuts Zack up immediately, except for a faint gasp of pain. "Bro!"

"Yeah, you're great, kid," he grunts, staring at Zack. "Titus did a number on your ribs?"

"Sort of, but I'm fine," he insists. He's more worried about Dolph's head than he'd ever be about his slightly tender ribcage.

Dolph sighs, shaking his head at him. "C'mere, kid." Zack makes a face but Dolph keeps urging him until finally he gets up and re-adjusts himself, settling down next to Dolph on the cot. "Thanks," he mumbles as Zack's warm arm wraps around his waist.

"All you had to do, bro, was say you were cold," Zack teases him.

"Uh huh." Dolph stares up at the ceiling. "I don't think this is a concussion. I have a headache, yeah, but it feels like a _normal_ headache... not something that will keep me off of the road..."

Zack nods but he's not entirely comforted until the trainer backups Dolph's claim, smirking when Dolph looks quite smug at the announcerment. "C'mon, bro, let's go home."

Dolph nods eagerly. "Ice for your ribs, and pain killers for my headache, then sleeping for at least twenty hours. Sounds like a great way to spend the night to me."

Zack grins and shakes his head fondly, unable to resist. "Yeah, sure, let's, bro."


	7. Moves

Zack hadn't been booked for the live event being held in Long Island currently. He's getting used to it by now but it still stings. He's slumped on his couch, dozing, when he's awoke by his phone repeatedly buzzing in his hand. Sighing, he lifts it up and reads through the various mentions made about him, gaping at it in shock. "Are you serious, bro?!"

-x

It always take a long time to get going after an event. For the rare time there's an event near someone's house, that person gets to leave the arena, either grab a bite to eat, or just go straight home to sleep the night's aches and pains away. The best part is it helps to not have to pay for a hotel and risk getting a bug infested, stained mess of a room.

Passing on getting something to eat, Dolph waits for traffic to clear- which it does painfully slowly- to go back to Zack's apartment. It's cold outside and it only feels moderately better in the lobby of the apartment building so he's relieved to unlock Zack's door and slip inside, shutting it tightly against the chilly air, taking a minute to breathe in the warmer air.

There are lights on in the living room so he heads that way, dropping his bag on the floor before he glances around for Zack. His eyes soften when he finds him slumped over on the couch, dozing with his phone in his hand. "Kid, what are you doing out here? Huh? It might feel nice to me right now, but I know how drafty your apartment is... you should be snug and warm in your bed."

Spotting Zack's phone, he tugs it out of his fingers and grips him under the arms, pulling him to his feet. Zack mumbles under his breath as Dolph wraps one of his arms around his shoulders, holding him close so he could keep Zack from tripping over his own feet. "Fine, I guess it's up to me to make sure you don't freeze to death in your own living room," he murmurs, guiding Zack down the hallway.

Nothing seriously bad happens to either of them on the trip back to the bedroom but Dolph still breathes a little easier once Zack is settled against his pillows, staring down at him as he sleeps on. Shaking his head fondly, Dolph kicks his shoes off and lies down, peering up at the ceiling. He's still awake a couple minutes later when Zack makes a soft humming noise and rolls over, throwing an arm over his chest. Dolph peeks down at him before resting a hand on his, grimacing when he realizes just how cold he actually still is compared to Zack's sleepy warmth. He starts to feel bad about potentially waking the broski up but there's not much to do about it now, so he waits and sure enough...

"Hey, bro," Zack mumbles against his shoulder.

"Hey, kid." They lay in silence for a few moments longer, Zack nuzzling closer to him.

"You're freezing, bro," he sighs.

"I know." Zack's still half asleep, but he starts trying to rub warmth into Dolph's flesh anyway. By the time he feels less like an ice cube, Dolph starts to doze off too, too comfortable to move or do anything else.

Zack leans up and lazily kisses him. "Thanks for the shout out tonight, bro. I'm glad someone can wins matches partially thanks to my moves."

"Heard about that, huh?" Dolph smirks. "Any time, kid. I may not live full time at Long Island, but I stay here a lot and it kind of feels like a second... or third... home..." Zack makes a face at him and he laughs. "My summer house in New Jersey, kid."

"Oh, right." He settles back against Dolph and closes his eyes. "At least I know you haven't forgotten about me."

"Never," Dolph promises breathily, resting a hand on Zack's back and dozing off himself.


	8. Together

Dolph is cursing darkly next to Zack, holding his neck and looking grumpy as the broski tries to breathe through the throbbing pain inching up his spine from impacting with the ring so harshly. "Dammit!" Dolph snaps, slamming a fist against the cot. When Zack groans, some of his anger is overwhelmed by worry and he turns gingerly to look at his boyfriend. "Hey, kid," he whispers, resting his hand on Zack's shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Never better," he says sarcastically, reaching out and wrapping an arm around Dolph's waist. Neither of them move, even when the trainer comes in and checks on them. Once he clears them, they both slowly climb off of the cot, the room too full of competitors after Big Show's rampage during Piper's Pit to let them all have individual places to sit or lay while they wait their turns. Supporting each other, they walk painfully slowly and awkwardly down the hall to get their things out of the locker and head for the car. Zack pauses at the car door and glances over at Dolph. "Who's driving?" His back is killing him even more now, his prior injuries coming back to haunt him yet again, and Dolph looks worse for wear, too, but...

"I'll drive," Ziggler finally sighs, reaching out for the keys. Zack is almost relieved for the offer, not feeling up to waiting for a taxi, but once their hands meet, he holds onto the keys and squeezes Dolph's fingers, staring at him. "Kid-"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. C'mon, I'm in pain and I'm tired, just give them-" He shuts up when he realizes that Zack's hand is gone, the keys safely held in his palm. Grunting, he unlocks the door and slips into the driver's seat, sighing softly. The drive to the hotel is quiet, tense, neither even moving to turn the radio on as they stare blankly out at the street. Zack has to remind Dolph a couple of times when the light turns green but all in all, the drive is uneventful, both men releasing sighs when they spot the hotel. The walk through the arena had been torturous, but traipsing through the hotel is almost enough to bring tears to both of their eyes, especially when they realize that the elevator is broken.

Zack curses hard this time, his head dropping against his chest. Dolph glances over at him before resting a hand on his neck, gently kneading his muscles for a few moments before guiding him to the stairs. Each step is fresh torture on their rattled bones but, thankful with each inch of progress that they make that their room is on the second floor, they finally make it and Dolph unlocks the door quickly as Zack presses his forehead against the wall, desperate to remain standing on wobbly legs for a little longer.

"Oh COME ON!" Dolph yells, glaring at the card as the light flashes red and refuses them entry to their room. Zack looks over, takes the keycard and tries it himself, just for it to flash green. Dolph grabs the handle and opens it roughly, waiting until Zack enters the room to follow him inside. He watches as Zack lets his bag slip from his fingers before kicking it halfheartedly and collapsing face down on the bed.

Dolph hesitates, considering going to the bathroom and doing his nightly absolutions... but ultimately, the bed looks so comfortable that he follows Zack's cue and soon lays next to him, reaching over and tugging his face out of the pillow so he won't suffocate himself. Their eyes meet and Dolph smiles wearily at him before inching closer to him and lightly rubbing his back. "We should get ice."

"Yeah, bro. I'm not moving though."

"I don't want to either," Dolph mumbles, pressing his forehead to Zack's shoulder. "Whoever wakes up first has to go get ice?"

"Sure," Zack whispers, succeeding at sounding insincere even half-awake.

Dolph smirks and shakes his head, watching Zack fall asleep through half-lidded eyes. "Night, broski."


	9. Seriously

There had been growing talk online about Miz, Dolph and Zack becoming a tag team after they'd spent some time together, even shooting some backstage videos about Miz's dad's sandwich shop and other things. It had seemed like a good idea to Zack, until, that is, he gets involved in an interview Dolph is holding about the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, their debate soon getting interrupted by Miz. When Renee chooses Zack as the best in the battle royal just to twist around into mocking him, he grits his teeth as Mike and Dolph laugh at him before leaving.

"Are you serious, bro?!" he demands before stomping off. He's seriously hurt, mad, and every other negative kind of emotion imaginable. It's one thing for people on Twitter to insult him, or even people in airports, but friends like Miz, or his boyfriend to do so? Not to mention, Renee herself... Of course it's kind of common for Dolph to tease him, but for the two of them to do so to him backstage, during an interview, when he'd actually been thinking a partnership with Dolph and Mike would be enjoyable... He sighs and heads into the locker room, ignoring the murmurs and laughter, aware that it's aimed at him, but he doesn't care, grabbing his things and heading into catering for a bottle of water.

It's hard to miss Dolph, more than just because of his hair. They'd always attracted each other like magnets, even when not together, so Zack's eyes immediately single him out but he quickly squares his shoulders and walks past the table he's sitting at, still holding his bag over his arm as he gets in line for drinks. After getting his water, he turns back to leave the area, purposely ignoring Dolph once more, not bothering to turn around even when Dolph calls out for him. The running footsteps that approach him do little to dissuade him from leaving either, his grip tightening on both the water and his duffel handle when warm fingers grip his shoulder and spin him around. "Broski, are you deaf and blind? I was sitting right there, calling for you!" Dolph exclaims, exasperated.

"If you want to continue mocking me, go find Miz or Renee, I'm not in the mood," Zack tells him coldly, trying to turn but failing as Dolph's fingernails dig into his elbow. "Let me go."

"No," the Show Off tells him, gripping him tighter. "Kid, come on, we were just teasing you, it wasn't-"

"It wasn't malicious?" he demands. "Maybe not but it still hurts, bro. You know how it gets after awhile, especially with the tweets and the whispers and laughter from the others every time I enter a locker room and knowing that it's worse when I leave... but blindsiding me in an interview? Really, bro?"

"You do look like someone's kicked your puppy when people really get going," Dolph concedes, still not brave enough to let go of Zack's arm. "I'm sorry, kid. I got wrapped up in the moment, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It was just a joke."

Zack's shoulders sag as Dolph steps closer and kneads his tense shoulder muscles. "I guess," he mumbles, glancing back towards catering. "What did you want anyway?"

Ziggler's eyes light up and he takes the opportunity to drag Zack back towards the tables. "There were a lot of cookies left over so I have a huge stack of them, and thought you might want a couple before we leave."

"Alright, bro." Zack even manages a smile as Dolph pushes him towards a chair, motioning to the plate of cookies. "Thanks." He nibbles at one of the sugar cookies and nods. "These are good, bro."

"Of course they are," Dolph tells him lazily, staring at him purposely. "I only go for the best."

Surprised, Zack coughs a couple of times before relaxing, grinning over at Dolph. "Sure, bro." They sit quietly for a minute more, enjoying the cookies, before... "Do you have any milk?"


	10. Forgotten

"Hey, broski, guess who's gonna be at Raw tonight?" Dolph greets him, waking him up with a lazy kiss.

Zack makes a faint humming noise, blinking sluggishly. "Who?"

"Hugh Jackman." Ziggler smirks down at him, shaking his head. "Don't get any ideas, I don't want a repeat of 2011."

"Me neither," Zack mumbles, stroking a sleep-warm hand down Dolph's jaw, remembering when Hugh had punched him on Zack's behalf and fractured his jaw. It had been inadvertent, Zack had felt terribly afterwards, but there was little he could do about it at the time. Even so, it's always cool when there's a celebrity backstage, more so when they'd been on Raw before, so Zack's stoked to get there, see what's up with Hugh, what he'll be doing this evening.

They both get dressed quickly and head out for the arena, unsurprised to find things already bustling and wild when they arrive, the crew working to make sure the show will go off as well as possible. There's a locker room set aside just for Hugh Jackman and Dolph peeks in, not too surprised to find it empty. He shrugs at Zack and they walk off side by side, peeking into catering and other parts of the arena where they think he might be just to find nothing. "Weird," Dolph mumbles, the two of them returning to the locker room. Zack remains in his street clothes, since he's not booked for anything, but Dolph is slated to introduce Hugh so he changes into his gear to go do so. He hesitates at the door upon realizing just how quiet Zack's been the last ten minutes. "Hey, kid, are you ok?"

Zack looks up, a strange look on his face. "Oh yeah, bro, never better," he says with a forced smile.

Dolph pauses, still staring at him, but a tech bustles up then. "You're up, Ziggler," he says forcefully, looking like he's going to drag Dolph out of the locker room if he doesn't get moving.

"Oh, right, yeah. See you later, kid," he says quickly, the door clicking shut behind him as he goes.

Zack gets up after a moment and goes out into the hall, watching as Dolph makes his way to the ring on the monitor. He's still standing there when a group of people walk forward, Hugh Jackman in the midst of them. They're talking and waving papers at him, and Zack can only imagine how busy Hugh is this close to another movie release, but still it hurts when Hugh's eyes seem to look straight past him, his role in their segment together a few years back clearly forgotten even as Dolph plays back footage of that night in the ring. He sighs, his shoulders slumping, before ducking back into the locker room. He can vaguely hear what's going on in the ring, "Magneto" challenging Hugh and getting destroyed for it.

When Dolph returns, he's grinning and laughing, staring eagerly at Zack. "Hey, kid. Did you watch my segment?" Zack doesn't answer and he frowns a little, approaching him. "Kid, are you ok?"

"Did you have fun working with Hugh again?" he asks, staring down at his phone. "It sounded like it was."

Dolph grimaces, sitting down next to Zack. "C'mon, kid. It's not that bad... we aired footage from that night, you weren't completely forgotten."

"Right," he says quietly. "He walked right by me earlier and didn't even notice." He shrugs. "I'm getting used to it."

Dolph reaches over and palms Zack's phone, tossing it over onto his bag and ignoring his boyfriend's complaints. "Kid, take a breath." Turning to look at the door, he smiles. "You can come in now."

The door opens and Zack gapes as Hugh Jackman himself enters, as charming and intense as he'd been when Zack first met him. "Uh," he squeaks.

Dolph laughs and stands up, pulling Zack to his feet as well. "Someone was feeling left out, sorry about leaving you out there for a minute," he tells the movie actor.

"It's fine," he shrugs. "Hey, Zack, how's it going?"

"It- it... it's fine," Zack gasps, overwhelmed. "Uh, I was trying to speak to you in the hall, but I guess you didn't hear me..."

"No, sorry, I guess I didn't," Hugh says, sitting down next to Zack. "I'm always busy even when I appear at these things, there's always something- an autograph, a schedule that needs kept to, whatever else. I'm glad I was able to get a few minutes to say hello. It's been awhile."

"Ye- yeah it has been," Zack nods, slowly relaxing under Hugh's familiar attitude. He hadn't changed from when he and Zack had worked together, and the two fall into discussing WWE and Hugh's upcoming movie, Zack's eyes shining with happiness. Even when Hugh gets pulled away by his publicist to go over some more business before he leaves, Zack's pleasure remains, the two of them fist bumping before he leaves.

Dolph takes Hugh's spot and glances over at Zack, smirking slightly. "Better now, kid?"

"Yes," Zack breathes out, nudging him. "Thanks for setting that up, bro. I really thought he forgot me..." He trails off, releasing a soft sigh. "I guess I should have more faith sometimes, huh?"

Dolph nods, looking over at him. "Yeah, kid. You're pretty hard to forget." Zack grins at him, leaning against him and Dolph wraps an arm loosely around his shoulders. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah, bro." When they venture out of the locker room, Hugh is still there, swarmed by more people than Zack can count... but this time he looks up and waves at them. Zack's grin grows as they walk out of the building. "He's siiiiiiiiick, bro."

Dolph stares at Zack for a moment, taking in the happiness that is overwhelming his expression, something so rare these days, and has to agree.


	11. Worthy

"I'll be ok, bro," Zack insists, pulling back on his resistance bands while pumping up his arms before his match against Sheamus. "You'll see."

Dolph wants to argue the point further but Zack looks so focused, so determined, that he can't bring himself to ruin his optimism, so he keeps his thoughts to himself. "Alright, kid," he sighs. "Just be careful out there, alright?" His hands instinctively rest on Zack's shoulders, massaging his recently recovered arm.

"Course, bro, I'll be fine." He leans in and kisses Dolph before folding the bands back up and handing them to Dolph. "Be back soon." He walks off with a grin and Dolph swallows hard, watching him go, an uncomfortable certainty that bad things are going to come from this...

"Dammit, kid," he mutters before going back to the locker room and sitting down, a conflicted look on his face as he stares into space, considering. Not his own well-being and what could happen on Sunday, but Zack... alone out there with Sheamus, who seems to want nothing more than to destroy any number of superstars, and... He curses darkly when he realizes that the match has started while he was sitting there ruminating, the bell still echoing through the arena. He finds a monitor and stares at it, realizing that Zack is already down and out. "Dammit! Kid, what the hell did I miss?"

Sheamus has a mic, kicking Zack into the corner and determining that he deserves longer than five seconds, roughing him up even more before deciding that Zack doesn't belong in his ring and throwing him over the top rope. Dolph cringes as Zack hits the floor hard, commentary declaring that Zack's hurt, and that's all Dolph needs to see or hear, taking off at a mad dash for the ring. _I'm coming, kid,_ he thinks breathlessly, dashing up the side of the ramp. Sheamus has dragged Zack back into the ring, tangling him up in the ropes in the corner as he prepares to Brogue kick him once more when he's at his most vulnerable, slumped against the turnbuckles.

Ziggler dashes into the ring in the nick of time, distracting Sheamus and successfully hitting the zigzag on him. As he scrambles out of the ring to safety, Dolph turns to Zack, who's freed himself from the ropes for the most part and is now slumped down against the mat, staring balefully back at him. He cups his face. "Are you ok, kid?!" Zack's nod is weak and mostly a lie, Dolph can tell, and it hurts, but he has to keep him safe so he walks to the front of the ring, glaring out at Sheamus as he stumbles back up the ramp. He can't leave them vulnerable to Sheamus but he keeps going back and forth between checking on Zack and trying to protect him from any further attack from the Irishman, when finally he leaves, dark promises in his eyes for Sunday.

Dolph breathes a little easier as soon as he's out of sight and returns to Zack's side, trusting in the audience's response to give him enough advanced warning in case Sheamus should return. Kneeling down, he pulls Zack into a more steady sitting position and hugs him carefully. "Oh, kid," he mumbles.

"Bro," he groans, head resting against Dolph's shoulder. "Ow."

"I know. I know." He strokes Zack's hair and sighs sadly. "C'mon, let's go get you checked out." Zack whimpers a little as each movement jostles his aching body, but he grits his teeth once he's standing on the floor and can see the crowd whispering and watching, supportive and sympathetic cheers for their fellow New Yorker bolstering him just long enough to make it up the ramp, Dolph's arm warm around his waist. His energy fades into nothingness as soon as they disappear beyond the curtain and it's all Dolph can do to keep him upright as his knees give out. "Kid!"

"So tired," he groans, pressing his palm into his eyes. "Dizzy..."

Dolph frowns, deciding instead to ease him to the ground and wait as the trainer goes to get more assistance to help him back into the office, wondering if perhaps he _had_ been too late, if Zack is concussed or worse. The thought makes him feel ill and disgusted with himself. "I'm sorry I took so long, kid," he whispers, pressing his face into Zack's hair. "I wasn't thinking straight, I froze when I saw what was happening... When I saw him throw you out of the ring..."

"It's ok," he breathes, groaning slightly when even trying to say those two small words sends pain stabbing up his face, his finger tangling into Dolph's black jacket. "I was... it... It was my fault, I was so egotistical after winning matches on the European tour... you just wanted to help me and I thought... I'd be ok... I should've known better..."

"He asked for that match on purpose," Dolph grits out, pulling away to look into Zack's dazed green eyes. "He knows how important you are to me, kid. So of course he'd ask to face you tonight, before our match on Sunday..." Pressing his forehead to Zack's, he grunts. "I am so sorry, kid. I made you a target. This isn't your fault at all, it's all mine."

Zack sighs and, somehow, inches together the strength to press his lips to Dolph's, hating seeing him like this. "Nah, bro, let's just agree that this is all... all Sheamus' fault, and you'll kick his ass on Sunday, and all of this will be better, right?"

Dolph grins wearily and cups Zack's face, careful with his aching mouth as he kisses him back. "I like the way you think, kid," he breathes. They're still tangled up in each other when the trainer returns with a couple of his assistants to help get Zack to his feet and the rest of the way to the office, Dolph keeping an eye out in case Sheamus or Orton, or anyone, should feel the urge to try anything else. But the trip goes smoothly and Zack is sprawled out on a cot a few minutes later, the trainer's fingers searching his jaw for any breaks or dislocations.

Dolph sits with him, holding his hand, for as long as he can, and they're listening to the monitor drone on a few feet away as the trainer examines him for a possible concussion when they hear Seth Rollins apologize to Kane, this making even the trainer stop short for a moment. When he then follows this up by dedicating his match against Dolph to Kane, Ziggler can't help the bark of laughter that slips past his lips, Zack peering up at him curiously. Leaning closer, Dolph smirks down at him. "Hey, kid, I dedicate my match tonight to you, alright? Lord knows you deserve it more than Kane ever has."

He laughs wearily and nods, his eyes lighting up a bit. "Kick some ass out there, bro."

"I will. Definitely have some aggravation to work out." He finds some space close to Zack and leans in, kissing him. "I'll be back soon. We'll find you something soft to eat after that, and then go back to the hotel so you can rest. Alright?"

Zack nods, his eyes fluttering sleepily. Dolph doubts he'll be able to stay awake to watch his match, but that's fine. Zack deserves a nap after this evening. "Sounds good, bro," he murmurs.

Dolph squeezes his hand once more before reluctantly pulling away to wrestle Seth. The match is back and forth for awhile, he thinks he might have it in hand after awhile, but then... Sheamus. He pinpoints on the man, lost in the memories of Zack getting waylaid and rampaged by him, barely able to stand by the time Dolph helped him out of the ring, and he wants nothing more than to destroy Sheamus right here, right now, but he still needs to focus on Seth, though it's already too late. He's DDT'd into the mat and then pinned, and there's nothing else he can do about the situation but roll out of the ring and, avoiding Kane and the drama on the ramp, make his way back to Zack slowly.

The trainer is on him immediately, Zack fast asleep on the cot- Dolph's somewhat glad that Zack missed his loss, considering-, and Dolph obliges him, once he's allowed to sit next to Zack on the cot so he can stay close to him, his soft breathing a comfort to Dolph as he's examined. Once the trainer deems him well enough to go, Dolph lays down next to Zack and wraps an arm around him, amused that there's enough room on the cot for the both of them before his thoughts grow more serious, affectionate as he examines the broski. "I'm proud of ya, kid," he whispers to the man next to him. "No matter what people say or do to you, you never lose hope and you always keep trying. Never lose that part of you, alright?" He smiles and leans in, nuzzling against Zack to wait for him to wake up so they can leave the arena, get one step closer to Extreme Rules. So he can make Sheamus pay for all of this tonight.


	12. Procedure

"This sucks, bro," Zack mumbles, poking his cheek as he peers at himself in the mirror.

"I know," Dolph sighs, trying to cling to what remains of his patience. Zack had been saying the same thing again and again since his toothache had progressed to the point where it was keeping him from sleeping. Which essentially meant Dolph wasn't sleeping.

Not to mention that it limited a few other things Dolph was pretty fond of.

He sighs and wraps his arms around Zack. "I told you to stop watching clips of Isaac Yankem," he grumbles, kissing between Zack's shoulderblades before peeking at him in the mirror.

"Well, tell WWE Network to stop airing them," he pouts, his fingers pressing against Dolph's wrists as he strokes Zack's abs through his shirt. "Bro, I don't wanna go," he suddenly declares. "The pain isn't that awful, I could probably-"

His words fade into a pained gasp that almost causes him to double over when Dolph pokes his cheek. "Yeah, no," he says, shaking his head. "You're going even if I have to tie you up and make you."

Zack grimaces and rubs his face. "You're heartless, bro."

"Hardly," Dolph sighs. "I'm tired of seeing you in pain, and the lack of sleep and... everything else," he smirks, eyes glinting with some dark intentions as Zack swallows, his green eyes locked on Dolph as he steps closer and cups Zack's face. "But I promise you, if ANYTHING makes you think about Isaac Yankem, we'll find you a new dentist. Alright?"

THIS appeases Zack, his lips lifting into a grin beneath Dolph's fingers. "Alright, bro, we can try that," he agrees, holding his breath as Dolph leans up and kisses him- enough to be felt, but also so gentle that Zack's mouth doesn't hurt.


	13. Regrets

There are a lot of tweets sent to any WWE superstar daily. Some insulting, some mortifying, and some that make Zack think more than he wants to. His mind is stuck on one of these that night, Dolph laying next to him in bed and reading a book before bed.

Zack peeks at him, placing his phone down before rolling over and resting his face on Dolph's arm, breathing softly when the Show Off starts to run his fingers through his hair. A few minutes pass quietly until Dolph reads to the end of a chapter, placing his bookmark between the pages and putting it down. "What's goin' on, kid?" he wonders quietly, his hands trailing lower to stroke down his neck and spine.

"Nothing really," Zack mumbles. "Just thinking." Dolph's noncommital hum echoes in Zack's ears for a brief while before he sits up, staring into Dolph's eyes. "Do you ever regret anything, bro?"

Dolph stares at him in confusion for a few seconds before releasing a breath. "Been reading tweets again, kid?" Pulling him back down, Dolph thinks about his question. "Do you have any regrets, kid?"

It's a stalling tactic so Dolph can honestly think, but Zack's answer is clearly something he'd been weighing for awhile. "Not being a better US champion," he mumbles. "I let so many things distract me, I deserved to lose it."

Dolph is thoroughly surprised by this- Zack rarely speaks of that time, much less to blame himself. "You were injured," he offers.

"Because I allowed myself to be wrapped up in Cena's mess," he mumbles. "I should've been more careful."

Dolph continues to massage his upper back, unsure how to respond to this. Ultimately he decides not to, opting to distract him instead. "What I regret?" he murmurs. "To be honest, nothing. It all led me here, and, really, here's pretty damn good."

Zack looks up at him in surprise and he smirks, kissing him.


	14. Bunny

Adam Rose's bunny. Once just something that Zack would roll his eyes at before resuming his time at the gym, now the absolute bane of his existance. Tweets, comments at arenas and airports, even friends of his on the LI seem reluctant to believe him when he says he's NOT the bunny.

Not helping his cause at all is Dolph, who is currently snickering to himself on the other side of the room. Before Zack can ask, his phone lights up and he groans, holding his breath as he stares at the new tweet alert. "Son of a... I'M NOT THE BUNNY!" he cries out, glaring furiously as Dolph collapses into laughter that sends him clean off of the couch.

He only stops rolling around and slapping the floor when Zack gets up from the table and storms off, needing to get away from Dolph badly right now. "Aw kid c'mon! It's funny!"

Except that it's not, considering how Zack struggles for every moment of TV time, still desperate to regain any semblance of respect after the mess with Eve all those years ago.

He sits quietly outside for awhile, ignoring Dolph's comings and goings. The only concessions he makes is to drink the glass of iced tea that Dolph puts in front of him, not acknowledging him beyond that. He's quiet all through supper and even that evening's TV, careful not to even smirk at some of the more ludicrous things Dolph says, the other man clearly working at filling the unnatural silence.

Eventually, it's bedtime and Zack sinks down on his side on the mattress, releasing a relieved sigh that the day's all but over. He feels as Dolph crawls up the bed, unsurprised when he presses against Zack's back, his hand resting against his ribs. They lay quietly, listening to each other's breathing, when Dolph pulls Zack onto his back and hovers over him, the dim lighting of the room heightening the intimacy of the moment. He presses a soft kiss to Zack's lips before resting his forehead against the broski's so they're eye to eye. "I'm sorry, kid. It was just a stupid joke." They lay in silence for awhile, Zack's eyes fixed on Dolph's, and he groans. "Oh c'mon, kid. I miss your voice. Just say... something..."

"Something," he says, his voice gritty with disuse. Dolph huffs, about to roll off of him, when Zack wraps his arms around him, running his fingers through Dolph's platinum hair. "Good night, bro."

Dolph freezes, expecting something- more anger, hurt, something, but no. Zack had proven his point. He sighs and chuckles, getting comfortable in Zack's arms. "Good night, kid."


	15. Kneejerk Reaction

Zack is in the process of changing out of his wrestling gear into jeans and a shirt when he feels Dolph's weighted stare on his back but, when he looks up, Ziggler looks away hurriedly, causing Zack to frown. He leaves it, however, not wanting to have a fight in front of everyone else at the arena, especially when he doesn't know why Dolph's mad.

It's later on, when they're in the rental, heading back to the hotel that Zack slows and turns into a parking lot. After stopping the car and taking the key out of the ignition, he turns in his seat and raises his eyebrow at Dolph. "So."

"What the hell are you doing, kid?" Dolph demands. "It's been a long night and I'm tired, wha-"

"Why are you so pissed, bro? What'd I do?" Zack asks, eyes bright with curiosity and worry. He can't remember anything offhand, but-

Dolph stares at him coolly for a few moments. "You've already forgotten, huh?" When Zack stares at him cluelessly, he rolls his eyes. "Why, out of everyone, did you target me first during the battle royal tonight?"

Zack gapes at him, sorting through his memories of the ring full of men and what he had done before it comes to him with a rush, seeing a flash of blond and instinctively turning towards it. He cringes and shrugs. "I wasn't thinking, bro, I just reacted and you were the closest to me."

Dolph rolls his eyes and stares out of the window. "Guess I'll have to remember to avoid you next time then."

Zack looks guilty, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around Dolph's hand. "Sorry, bro. It really wasn't intentional, I swear."

He sounds so forlorn, his fingers so warm and soothing against Dolph's knuckles, that soon his bad mood is swayed and he looks over to find Zack staring at him with a miserable look in his eyes. He groans, never able to stay mad at him for too long and tugs Zack closer, kissing him. "Fine, kid, I know it was just heat of the moment," he concedes, relieved when Zack grins, his eyes lighting up. "Will you finish driving us to the hotel now?"

"Yep," Zack says with a pleased grin, starting the car up. It's a short drive so there's no huge surprise when he doesn't let go of Dolph's hand.


	16. Phones Away

After brunch with Zack's parents and a Skype session with Dolph's, the two of them are spending the rest of Mother's Day lounging together on the couch, playing around on their phones, Zack watching random videos on Youtube while Dolph reads through various websites. Which would be a relaxing time except that, every few minutes, Zack's videos get interrupted by yet another tweet alert from Dolph, who seems obsessed with making jokes about mothers and the holiday. The first couple of times, he huffs and rolls his eyes, closing the screen out with a sharp tap of his finger against the glass. The more it happens, though, the more annoyed he gets and eventually swats Dolph's leg.

"What?!" he exclaims, eyes bright with confusion and innocence when Zack glares up at him.

"Trying to watch something," he responds, turning back to his phone. How much time has passed, he's not sure, but it happens again. His video is disrupted by _another_ tweet- comparing mothers to doorknobs- and he finally loses it, sitting up and twisting around towards Dolph, his eyes narrowed warningly. "Give me your phone, bro. Now."

"Uh, I'd rather not," Dolph says, suddenly frightened of the look on Zack's face. He hugs it protectively to his chest and shakes his head, blinking rapidly when Zack crawls up his body and tugs at his hands, pinning him against the cushions so he can't get away. "Kid-!"

"Give it," he orders, voice dark and impatient as he continues to try to work Dolph's hands free so he can get at the offending item. "Bro..."

"Nooooo, not- KID!" he all but squeeches when Zack finally gets ahold of the device and mutters a quick "woo woo woo" in celebration. "Don't you do it! That phone has everything that matters to me on it!"

He smirks, looking down at Dolph. "Everything?" he asks, now perfectly cheerful that he's gotten it away from Dolph. "Really?" He leans closer and presses a ghost of a kiss against the Show Off's lips, feeling him gasp and squirm. "That's news to me, bro." Getting to his feet, he walks across the room and drops both his and Dolph's phones into a desk drawer before pushing it shut with his hip, turning to face Dolph as he stares at him, dazed, from where he's still laying on the couch. "I'm deeming the rest of tonight phone free," he explains, returning to the couch and kneeling down until he's eye to eye with his boyfriend. "Alright with you, bro?"

"I guess," he mumbles, reaching out for Zack. "Are you going to make it up to me, kid?"

"I guess," Zack echoes teasingly, a grin crossing his face.


	17. Stubborn

The bunny thing is increasingly ridiculous. It's one thing to ignore fans and people backstage, but when Dolph keeps calling Zack the bunny, even making it a major part of their JBL &amp; Cole segments, it starts to honestly hurt. He had repeated so many times already that he's _not_ the bunny... to be ignored by everyone, treated like a liar... He sighs and forces himself to watch Dolph's match against Fandango, arms crossed over his chest and face tense. The match goes fine, Dolph wins, but he'd taken some hard shots to the head and face that bring back Zack's old paranoia regarding his history with concussions.

He's still not quite up to seeing Dolph but he lurks outside of the trainer's room, keeping the door propped open with his wrestling boot wedged in at just the right moment. He's pretty sure he's been unnoticed by those inside the room, listening until the trainer confirms that there's no visible sign of concussion but to come back if Dolph feels at all off in the next couple of days. Pulling his foot free, he turns and walks back down the hall to the locker room to wait for Dolph to come get his things so they can leave. He stuffs most of the other man's things into his bag, piling up his street clothes on top, before sitting down on a bench to wait.

Dolph comes in and immediately heads for the shower, sweaty and sore. Zack listens to the water pouring onto the tiles and Dolph's soft hisses and murmurs as the water soothes his bruises and the soap he's using undoes all of that by stinging the cuts and abrasions littering his body from recent matches. He comes out in a towel and glances at his bag, face lighting up as he looks at Zack. "Thanks, kid," he sighs, beginning to change. Zack looks up once but, other than that, doesn't respond and Dolph frowns, peering over at him as he pulls his shirt on over his head. "Are you ok?"

"Yes," he says, pressing a button to close out the mobile web on his phone and pocketing it. "We leaving?"

"Sure," Dolph agrees, following him out after grabbing his bag. The ride back to the hotel is quiet, Zack driving. He doesn't even turn on the radio, which adds to Dolph's worry, but he gives him some space until they've entered their room and Zack avoids the bed entirely, kicking off his shoes and jeans and tugging on some sweatpants before sinking onto the couch, his head bowed and fingers pressed together as he stares down at the floor for a few moments. Dolph's perplexion grows as Zack lays down right there, too tall to fit well on the couch but curling up sufficiently and pressing his face into the back of the cushions. "What's wrong?" Dolph finally demands, frowning as he stares at Zack.

"Nothing," he mumbles into the couch.

"Why are you over there then? What did I do?" he asks, frustration growing as Zack remains quiet. "Kid-!"

"I don't know why you'd wanna share a bed with a liar, so I'm not making you," he grouses. "You don't believe me when I say I'm not the bunny, so why bother?"

Dolph slaps his hand against his face, making his headache from the match against Fandango worse, but he grits his teeth and begins to change into his own nightwear, a tank top and shorts, before grabbing the sheets from the bed and walking to the couch. Throwing them on top of Zack, he lays down next to him and shakes the sheet out around both of them, tucking Zack in against him.

"Bro!" he snaps, squirming and wiggling but not getting too far as Dolph hugs him closer. "Oh c'mon!"

"Shut up, I'm not leaving," he mumbles into Zack's shoulderblades. "You're stuck with me. As for the bunny, I do believe you... mostly... but it amuses me to get you worked up over this crap. You're cute when you're angry. Usually." He finds his hand and gives it a squeeze. "But really, this couch sucks... anytime you wanna head back to the bed, let me know."

Zack huffs and rolls his eyes, settling more comfortably into the couch and smirking as Dolph sighs, realizing his night is going to be spent here. When he stays, Zack's lips lift into an affectionate smile before interlacing his fingers with Dolph's.


	18. Cake

Dolph holds his breath as he returns to Zack's apartment after running a quick errand, his smirk growing when he discovers that Zack is on the phone, talking exuberantly with Chi about plans later that night. He half listens to the conversation, _almost _doubting what he's about to do, when he catches a glimpse of the item in the box once more, his smirk returning as he lays it down on the table carefully. He turns just as Zack gets off of the phone. "Bro, Chi is so excited for tonight, it's going to be a-" His chatter dies away as he catches sight of the box, eyes widening. "Bro, what'd you do?"

"What's it look like, kid?" Dolph grins, his eyes glinting as he steps aside so Zack can get a better view of the cake. He looks giddy, like a little boy... until he steps closer and actually _sees_ the dessert, his eyes immediately darkening into an annoyed glare. Dolph fights not to laugh before turning. "I forgot to buy candles, that box from my birthday is still in the cupboard, right?"

He leaves Zack behind, only just making it to the kitchen before collapsing against the counter in wheezing laughter at the recollection of Zack's face when he'd spotted the bunny shaped carrot cake. He takes deep breaths, finally controling himself, and stands up straighter, heading back to the dining room with the box of candles. "Hey, kid, I have-"

There's no warning. One minute, he's walking towards the table, confident in his prank mastery, the next he's stopped short, choking on frosting and cake crumbs after Zack throws a sizeable chunk of the cake right in his face. The candles drop from slack fingers as he gapes at a pleased looking Zack, grimacing as the mess sluggishly drips off of his face onto his clothes and shoes. "Kid!"

Zack's smirk is dangerous as he approaches, picking the candles up from the floor. Staring at Dolph warningly, he turns towards the table and stabs a candle in what remains of the cake that's still in the box, lighting it with a rough strike of a match. "Happy birthday to me," he grumbles, pausing long enough to presumably make a wish. Blowing it out, he turns back to Dolph and pulls him closer, kissing some of the frosting off of his lips. "I'm not the damn bunny, bro," he says simply, pushing Dolph away and walking off to get ready for his plans with Chi later that night.

Dolph stares at where he'd left before looking down at himself, the mess on the floor, on the table... "Hey, who's going to clean this up?!" he calls out, though he thinks he already knows. "Son of a..."

When Zack returns, looking good in black jeans and a purple shirt, his hair spiked just so, there's no sign of the cake. And Dolph is cleaned up too, for the most part, a sheepish look on his face as Zack wanders around, collecting his keys and phone. "Nice of you to clean up, bro," he says drily.

"Ok," Dolph says, exhaling. "Even I can see I was asking for that. I saw it at the store and thought it'd be funny... Sorry, kid." Zack shrugs, his back to Dolph. The Showoff grimaces before approaching him, looking over his shoulder. "I can still come, right?

"I guess," he sighs. Turning to look Dolph over before they leave, he smirks, adjusting Dolph's clothes and examining his face until he squirms anxiously, thinking he'd missed something when Zack leans in and kisses the side of Dolph's lips, cleaning more frosting off of his skin. "You left that there on purpose," he mumbles, pulling away and grimacing as he tastes the frosting.

"Maybe," Dolph mumbles, leaning in towards him. "Happy birthday, kid. Let's go get you a cake you actually will like."

"_Yes_," Zack groans desperately, wrapping an arm around Dolph as they walk side by side to the door.


	19. Proving a Point

"What were you hopin' to prove, bro?" Zack chides a downed Dolph, staring down at him as he lays on his stomach and grimaces through the referee poking and prodding after Batista's attack. The match itself had been bad enough but to end by a lowblow DQ, then Batista throwing Dolph into the barricade wall... The Long Island native sighs tiredly, sitting next to the cot. He's just aggravated, the last few weeks leaving things strained between them. All of the bunny jokes hadn't endeared many people to Zack, much less Dolph, and for this reason, Zack had taken to sleeping on the couch when at his apartment which really, really sucks.

If not for Dolph constantly taking rough shots in and out of the ring at least twice a week, Zack wouldn't bother, but the thought of him on the couch, struggling to sleep, never sits well with him. So he gets the couch and Dolph gets the bed, which doesn't seem like much of a punishment but, considering how often Zack wakes up to find Dolph snuggled up on the couch with him, probably bothers him more than he wishes to admit. Not enough to stop making the bunny jokes, but still...

As soon as the trainer finishes and Dolph catches his breath, he peeks up at Zack and makes a face. "Wasn't trying to prove anything, kid. Just speaking the truth. Like I usually do."

Zack exhales in annoyance, rolling his eyes at the ceiling before the trainer returns, both of their eyes locking on him. "I'm seeing nothing out of the ordinary, just some minor swelling. Get him to the hotel, lay him down and begin to ice his back. I'll look back in on you before the weekend events," he promises before leaving to check on another superstar.

"Thanks, Doc," Dolph mumbles, struggling to his feet with some help from Zack. One arm wrapped snug around his waist and the other gripping their bags, Zack supports him out of the arena to their car, where he orders him into the backseat, laying him down so that he's not putting more pressure on his back. The drive to the hotel, and the walk up to their room, passes silently until Zack helps Dolph lay down on the bed and goes to get a fresh bucket of ice. Once he's alone, Dolph buries his face in his pillows and breathes through the pain until the lock beeps and the door opens, Zack heading into the bathroom.

Dolph listens as Zack stuffs ice in freezer bags and wraps them in towels before returning to him. The ice has barely touched his back when he sinks into the mattress and moans, unsure if the coolness is soothing him or Zack's touch, which he hasn't felt much of lately. Zack sighs and kicks his shoes off, settling in next to Dolph on the bed, holding the ice in place as he drifts, almost asleep. He lets out a soft grunt and Zack freezes for a moment before leaning closer. "Am I hurting you, bro?"

"No," he sighs. "Feels nice... You're not going to the couch?" he asks after a moment, eyes slipping open and peering at Zack.

Zack shrugs, then smirks. "Guess not, bro. Need to stay here and make sure you don't go picking fights with someone else and get your ass kicked while my back's turned anyway."

"Haha," Dolph says drily but it's clear, by the small twitch of his lips, that he's more than fine with this.


	20. Relationships

Zack tosses and turns in the Louisiana hotel bed while watching Raw. His neck and back still throb from the NXT title open challenge on Thursday, the trainer refusing to clear him to compete. Kevin Owens is no joke, but he still plans on being in Pittsburg for NXT later on in the week. He just hopes the trainer agrees with him.

When exactly he falls asleep, he's not sure, but he wakes up with a gasped start when a warm hand rests on his shoulder. "Hey, kid, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Dolph whispers softly, sitting down next to him on the bed. Zack sits up, sleepy, disoriented and his heart racing, and wraps his arms around Dolph, catching his breath as Dolph hugs him back, stroking his hair until he calms down and pulls away, resting back against the pillows. "I would've let you sleep, but I wanted to give you a heads up..."

Zack blinks, yawns, then murmurs, "What's going on, bro?"

"Looks like you slept through most of Raw, so you have no clue, huh?" Dolph sighs, his hand resting on Zack's leg. "Lana was hurt tonight, kid. She was out watching my match and she fell off the ramp and hurt her ankle." Zack is staring at him, not comprehending, and Dolph's just opened his mouth to continue explaining when-

"Dolph? What's going on?" It's then that Zack registers that the door to their room is still open, light spilling in from the hall, and he hisses out a breath, realizing that Lana's been out there, listening, this entire time.

He turns scandalized eyes towards the Show Off and Dolph cringes. "Look, she needs someone to keep an eye on her tonight... I need to go get her... watch this." He pulls his phone out, finds a video and hands it to Zack, pressing play before getting up and rushing to the door.

Zack is momentarily distracted by watching Dolph support Lana, clad in blinding pink, into the room but then the video regains his attention and he watches, jaw dropping, as Rusev corners Lana and eventually causes her to step off of the ramp awkwardly, where she clutches her ankle. Dolph loses against Kane because of this and then, the last sight that Zack sees before pushing the phone away, is Rusev, staring down at Lana and _laughing._ He swallows hard, abruptly feeling guilty, and watches quietly as Dolph continues to help Lana hop gingerly inside.

His head aches and his neck throbs each time he moves it wrong but he pushes the sheets off and gets up. "I guess I'm getting the couch tonight," he mumbles, painfully getting to his feet and starting to shuffle towards it when Dolph grabs his arm, startling him for the second time in five minutes.

"What do you think you're doing, kid?" he chides him. "Get back in bed." He looks down at the woman. "You'll be ok on the couch, right? I'd offer you the bed but Zack's still recovering and I think you'll fit better on the couch anyway..."

"Of course," she says easily, her accent thick with pain. "I'm grateful that you're willing to take me in at all." She's not looking at Dolph, her eyes boring into Zack's now, and he realizes that he's not the only who's feeling guilty right now.

He says nothing, however, obliging Dolph by crawling back into bed and curling up under the sheets, watching blurrily as Dolph directs her into the bathroom, where she changes for bed, opting to wear one of Dolph's merch shirts- which only tugs at Zack's self-control a little, the horrible vision of Rusev _laughing_ at the woman who only a few weeks ago had been the closest person in his world still fresh in his mind.

Once she's done in there, he settles her on the couch, props her ankle up with a couple of pillows, gives her another one for her head and goes to get another sheet which he hands to her once she finishes freeing her hair from the uncomfortable bun that Zack's never really seen her without. "Good night, Lana," he tells her. "We'll be right over here if you need anything. Just yell."

"Thank you," she breathes. "Good night."

Dolph's smile slips as he approaches the bed and sinks in next to Zack, wrapping an arm around him and kissing him softly. "Rusev's such a bastard," he tells him faintly.

"I never took it seriously," Zack confesses to him. "Never made sense to me why you felt the need to protect her because I never thought Rusev would ever hurt her, but he actually... he _laughed_ tonight. I don't get it, bro."

"Because you're a hundred times the man he is," Dolph sighs, pressing his forehead against Zack's. "Thanks for being cool with letting her stay tonight, kid. She looked so small and scared, I couldn't just leave her on her own."

Zack nods, nuzzling closer to him. Taking comfort in each other's warmth, they're asleep within minutes.

Unfortunately it only seems to last for a few minutes when Zack wakes up, immediately on alert. For what, he's not sure, but... Dolph is fast asleep, breathing in and out deeply, but there's something... a soft whimpering noise. Decidingly female. His brow furrows and it takes Zack a long time to remember but finally... _Lana!_ Gently freeing himself from Dolph's grip, he sits up and stares towards the couch. "Lana? Are you ok?"

She gasps and seems to squirm around a bit before sitting up to look at him. "Oh, uh, for the most part, yes." But she shifts and immediately whispers again, Zack slowly crawling out of bed, careful not to wake Dolph up. He pads over to the couch and she looks up at him, eyes wet with tears. "My ankle hurts so badly," she finally confesses. "I cannot sleep."

There's no way he can get fresh ice without waking Dolph and half of the hotel- unfortunately the ice machine in this building is old and loud- so he stands and ponders for a long moment. "I have painkillers over here," he tells her, feeling around in the darkness until he finds the bottle. Wandering over to the fridge, he searches out a fresh, unopened bottle of water, and brings that to her as well, shaking out a couple of pills into her outstretched hand. As she downs the medicine, he hovers for a moment longer, pondering how else to help her. "Do you mind?" he asks quietly, lifting her feet up from the couch gently.

She coughs and stares up at him, shaking her head. "No, it's fine," she murmurs. He sinks down on the couch and stretches her legs out over his lap, watching her as his fingers search her ankle, feeling how swollen and sensitive it is. Being in this business for almost a dozen years, however, he's aware of how to at least ease the pain from certain injuries and this happens to be one of them. Deftly pressing against her ankle, he massages carefully, following her responses to give her the most relief. When she drops her head back against her pillow and sighs breathily, he grins.

Something is nagging at Dolph, disrupting his thankfully pain-free sleep, and he moans, rolling over and feeling around for Zack. But the other side of the bed is empty and he grunts, opening his eyes. The sun is starting to rise, a dull grey light filling their room, and he sighs, thinking Zack maybe went to the bathroom... but soon he hears the familiar breathing that he falls asleep to almost every night, steady and deep, from across the room. Sitting up, he stares at the couch in confusion before his sleep-adled mind catches up with what he's seeing. Kicking free of the sheets, he gets to his feet, stumbling over to Lana and Zack, he takes in how Zack is sitting, his hand loosely resting against her leg. The broski had clearly fallen asleep while massaging her ankle.

He wonders how long Zack's been over here, his lips twitching as he kneels in front of him and grimaces, aware of how sore he's going to be after sleeping like this. Cupping the back of his neck, he leans in and gently kisses him. "I love you, kid." Turning to Lana, he realizes she's awake, dark eyes locked on them. It's awkward, he's pretty sure she was actually getting attached to him, but he hopes that this quells that, that she can accept Zack is the only one he wants in his life like that. That she and he are only going to be friends and nothing more.

Her lips lift into a gentle smile and he immediately relaxes, relieved to see that this is indeed going to be the turning point in their business relationship. "You two are, as you Americans say, adorable," she sighs.

He glances back at Zack before turning to her. "Do you mind?" he asks, lifting her from the couch when she shakes her head. "He may be adorable but no one wants a cranky broski. Besides now you get the nice, fluffy bed all to yourself." She chuckles as he rests her against the mattress, winking at her before turning back to the couch. It takes some manuevering but he sits down and draws Zack over, laying him across his lap with his head pressed against Lana's abandoned pillow, stroking his fingers through Zack's soft hair.

He's fallen into a bit of a doze when... "I love you too, bro," Zack murmurs sleepily, his fingers finding Dolph's hand and loosely squeezing it.

Dolph smiles.


	21. Misspell

Dolph has an afternoon full of media events for WWE, leaving Zack behind to go to the gym, catch up on things on Twitter, and listen to music that Dolph generally can't stand as loud as he dares, sometimes singing along if he thinks that noise complaints won't be sent to the front desk. He's in the middle of cardio when his phone starts lighting up. Curious, he turns the speed down before lifting his phone and staring as more and more tweet alerts are sent. Thumbing through them, he's not that surprised to find that Dolph had gotten bored between interviews, starting a Q&amp;A. "Of course, blow up my phone while I'm trying to train, bro," he grouses, grinning a little as he looks through some of the answers, walking slowly in time with the machine.

Until, that is, he sees the dreaded "bunny" word and stops short, glaring at the text. "He couldn't even spell my name right?!" he demands, incredulous as he peers at one of his biggest pet peeves- _Zach_. He's so distracted, he skids and stumbles back when he's deposited off of the slow moving treadmill, almost hitting his face on the arm grips. "Dammit, bro, that's the last straw." Pocketing his phone and grabbing his other things, he heads for the exit, eyes ablaze.

It's late when Dolph returns to the hotel, exhausted and looking forward to watching Comedy Central and teasing Zack with junk food before passing out in bed. The thought has put a smile on his weary face until he unlocks their door and enters, wiping his eyes. "Hey, kid-" He stops short, smile immediately fading away as he takes in the dark, quiet room. There's no sign that Zack's even been in the room for hours, his gym bag gone. Frozen with the thought that maybe something happened to him, he tugs his phone out of his pocket and dials Zack's number with numb fingers, listening as it rings again and again, finally cycling through to his voicemail.

Dolph sits down heavily on the bottom of the bed, staring blankly at his phone. Zack never _doesn't_ answer... "Shit," he hisses. Begins calling anyone he can think of, determined to find him, figure out what's going on. He's about to call local hospitals, just in case, worse case scenarios beginning to run through his mind, when Miz, the last person on the list of their colleagues he thinks to call, stops all of that.

"Oh, yeah, I saw him outside of the gym earlier," he says absently. "What'd you do to piss him off this time?"

"What do you mean?"

"He was so angry he didn't even see me entering when he was leaving. I thought he was going to break the glass doors, and he was muttering about bunnies and his name. I figured you tweeted something stupid again."

It immediately clicks and Dolph barely mutters a bye before hanging up, the phone slipping out of his fingers. "Son of a bitch." He sits blankly for a few minutes before finding his phone and accessing his tweets once more. The offending tweet, glaring back up at him with its bunny comment and the misspelling of Zack's name, had been made a good six hours ago and a shudder of unease tickles up Dolph's spine as he swallows hard. He'd noticed as soon as he'd tweeted it that he'd accidentally said _"Zach_", which had always angered Zack, but he hadn't been interested in fixing it, too busy answering tweets before his next interview to really think about how it would go over with the broski.

He stares at himself in the full length mirror before releasing a breath. "You are an idiot," he tells his reflection, scraping a hand through his hair before getting up to find Zack.

Considering neither of them know the area that well, it's hard to guess where the broski might've gone. Dolph grimaces and decides to drive around, looking for anything that looks like somewhere Zack may go. Bars are a bust, the beach is dead, even the karaoke joint he drives by is deserted of all things broski. He sighs and drives on, finally opting to stop at a park and walk around, try to clear his head for awhile. He's walking through shadowy trees, listening to the wind blowing through the leaves, when he hears a soft murmur. Curious, he approaches it, lips parting when the sound becomes more audible, the voice so very familiar that it almost hurts. He stops short and stares as Zack sprawls on the pavement by a small lagoon, feeding ducks breadcrumbs.

They quack and the more brazen ones peck at the food instead of waiting for him to throw it, but it must be more gentle than it looks because Zack laughs, their beaks tickling his palm. Dolph watches, holding his breath, until Zack runs out of bread and dusts his hands off, seeming content to sit there, surrounded by the birds as they scrounge around his prone body for more. "You bros are great," he tells the ducks quietly, careful not to scare them off. "If you could type, you'd never misspell my name, would ya?"

_So he knows I'm here._ Dolph winces and slowly walks over, unsurprised when most of the ducks fly off, sounding as scandalized by his appearance as Zack looks. He sits tensely, arms crossed over his knees, and doesn't bother to look over when Dolph sits next to him. They sit quietly for awhile, listening to the wind teasing through the tree, across the water. Slowly, some of the ducks return and even begin to peck around Dolph, still expecting more bread, but he doesn't move. Until, that is, he turns to look at Zack. "I'm sorry."

Zack doesn't say anything for awhile before releasing a breathy sigh. "You know I hate when people misspell my name, bro. And the bunny thing."

Dolph sighs, nodding. "Two strikes in one tweet... must be some kind of a record, considering you can only do so much in 140 characters."

Zack's grin is undeniable, even in the dark. "If anyone could manage it easily, it'd be you, bro."

Dolph inches closer, ignoring the ducks that skitter around them. "Alright, look, the bunny thing is... it's stupid, alright? I promise not to do it again if you come back to the hotel with me. How's that?"

"And you'll do it twice as much if I don't?" He doesn't sound serious, which helps Dolph to relax a little.

"Well, do you really want to stay here with ducks all night?" he wonders, looking around at the various birds still scattered around. "No offense."

"Well, they _are_ quieter than-" He doesn't finish the sentence as Dolph pushes him over and pins him to the pavement, laughing. "Fine fine," he gives in breathlessly. "If you promise never to say I'm the bunny again, and make sure to spell my name right, I'll come back."

"You drive a hard bargain," Dolph tells him, not bothering to move off of Zack's midsection while he thinks it over. "But it's a deal. Now come on, these ducks look like they want to murder me." He stands and grips Zack's hand, pulling him up to his feet. He smirks and kisses him before drawing him away from the lagoon, leaving the ducks behind. "There's no way those birds are quieter than I am," he grouses. "Right? Zack?" But Zack's already halfway to the car, pointedly not responding. "ZACK!"


	22. Relax

With time, Zack begins to calm down. Dolph hadn't mentioned the bunny in weeks and the buzz from the other wrestlers and divas slowly die away as well. His career is still this side of awful, but at least he has one less problem to dwell on. There are still random tweets from various people who like to belittle him, but it's easy enough to ignore them. He's almost forgotten about it entirely, no longer gritting his teeth whenever he sees a rabbit on TV or in real life, when he returns from errands one day.

Dolph had been asleep when he'd left, so he'd quietly shut the door behind him before going out for a quick trip to the gym and to go get some more groceries since, between the two of them, they seem to go through a week's supply in the couple of days that they're not on the road with WWE. He's humming along to Backstreet Boys when he returns to the apartment, juggling a couple of bags while unlocking the door. Turning around to kick the door shut behind him, he only just spots the shadow out of the corner of his eye, hesitating and turning towards it to get a better look. Once he realizes what it is, he almost drops the groceries but only just manages to save them in time, scooting over to put them on the couch. "Uh," he says cluelessly, jaw dropping as he gets the full affect of what he's seeing. "Bro?"

Dolph rolls his eyes, raising his eyebrows at him. "Well, pull your phone out, kid, get this out of your system." When Zack still doesn't move, agape at him, Dolph flushes. "What?" He's standing before Zack, wearing a bunny outfit, close to the one used in WWE TV but with minor differences, especially in the face which Zack can only just see as it's currently drooping backwards against Dolph's neck as he glares at Zack. "Why are you dragging this out? Just get it over with, send pictures to all your broskis. I know you want to." Zack still makes no moves to do and Dolph groans. "Fine, I'll do it for you." He walks towards Zack but he hadn't really practiced keeping his balance in the suit. He's only a few feet away when he trips on his own feet and lurches forward, gravity sending the bunny head back over his face, disorienting him even more.

Zack, however, shakes off his fugue enough to step forward and hold his arms out, catching Dolph before he can hit the floor. "Geez bro, why are you always falling into me?" he asks with a soft smile, remembering a certain elevator a couple years ago. He tugs back on the bunny head, freeing Dolph from it, and fights not to laugh when the Show Off looks up at him balefully.

"Guess you just have that affect on me," he grouses. They stand like that for a few more minutes, quiet and reflective, before Dolph huffs at Zack. "So are you going to take pictures or not?"

Zack squeezes his midsection. "Nah, bro. My seeing it was enough." He sighs and presses his forehead to Dolph's, thinking for a moment while the other man peers up at him in confusion and worry. "I have kinda overreacted about all of this, huh?"

"I should've stopped pushing the issue when I knew how much it bugged you," Dolph admits. "Instead I just joked about it even more. Kid, I-" He stops short when Zack presses a finger to his lips, quieting him. "Kid?"

"We were both kinda stupid, so let's... do it together on a count of three, huh?" Dolph's lips relax into a smirk and he nods as Zack holds three fingers up, folding another in to his palm every couple of seconds. Once he's pressed the last finger in, they look at each other and laugh weakly, searching the other's eyes. "I'm sorry."

After a quick kiss, Zack helps Dolph over to the couch to sit down next to the bags, scooping them back up. "Gimme a couple minutes to put these away, then I'll come back and help you out of that thing."

Dolph chuckles. "Alright." He watches Zack go, then sits up straighter when realization dawns on him. "Hey... Did you get more corndogs, kid?"

"Yes, bro," he calls back, sounding fondly exasperated.

"That _almost_ makes this worth it," Dolph mumbles, slumping back against the cushions and staring down at his fur covered feet.


	23. America

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Go out and honor the troops in the Nassau Coliseum, with an American flag and everything. Considering it was Memorial Day, Zack had wanted to do _something... _but then Lana and Rusev had interrupted, Lana lecturing the Americans to comply to their ways and beliefs, and Zack swallows, seeing that he's going to pay for his moment of patriotic pride.

The match that follows is short, barely lasts a minute, before Zack finds himself held up in the Accolade, his failure weighing heavy on him as Big E and Rusev brawl. He eventually finds his way to his feet, arm aching, just to realize Big E has the flag he'd come to the ring with, waving it emphatically. He grimaces and climbs back into the ring, gingerly approaching the man who used to enjoy attacking him whenever he got in Dolph's way back when he, AJ and E were still a trio.

This time, however, Big E actually smiles a little at him, pressing the flag back in Zack's hands. "That took guts. Not a lot of brains, maybe, but guts." His hand is heavy on Zack's back as he thumps him between the shoulders, nearly driving all of the oxygen out of the broski's lungs. "C'mon, let's get you back to the locker room... think someone was a little worried about you."

Zack holds onto the flag post, feeling as it drifts down over him while he follows E, still sore and uncertain what he was even doing out here in the first place. "Did Dolph send you out to help me?" he asks.

"No," E answers after pushing the curtains back to let Zack through with the slightly cumbersome flag, Zack relieved because he's still unsteady from the match and can only imagine getting tangled up with the flag, inciting more laughter from those around the gorilla.

They walk side by side down the hall, no one daring to comment on Zack's loss while Big E is accompanying him. Zack registers this quietly before looking over at E. "Well, thanks anyway." He sighs grimly. "Every time I try to do anything..."

E's touch this time is a bit more gentle as he claps Zack on the arm. "Yeah, it's rough, but don't give up." He reaches out and pushes open the locker room, Zack blinking as the dim lighting of the hallway is forgotten by the bright floruscent bulbs overhead, his flag gently tugged from his hands as Dolph grips him and pulls him into the locker room, examining him closely. His senses are so overwhelmed that he only just hears as Big E says, "... He would be really disappointed if you did."

Zack smiles mirthlessly as Dolph runs his hands down his arms, barely having to look into Dolph's blue eyes to see the fear there. He eventually looks up at Big E, who is carefully propping the flag up in the corner, and nods vaguely. "I know. Thanks again, bro."

"Any time," E says simply, turning to leave Zack to Dolph's fussing care.

"Hey, I'm fine," Zack says finally, catching Dolph's hands and making them still by pressing them to his chest. "Thanks to E."

Ziggler releases a breath, grimacing as he squeezes Zack's fingers. "Idiot."

Zack barks a laugh and smirks. "Yep, everything's back to normal." He sighs as Dolph drags him closer and kisses him, leaning against the Show Off as, for at least a few minutes, all of the bad from the evening fades away.


	24. Day Off

Dolph is laying on his stomach, face pressed into the pillow, fast asleep, when the bed shifts around him and he stirs, loathe to leave the peaceful darkness he'd been in. The night before, he'd lost a Money in the Bank qualifying match, and sleep was the best way to avoid the bad memories... but here he is, regretfully heading towards consciousness with a familiar weight pressed against his back. "Get off me, kid," he grunts, cranky and sleepy.

Zack doesn't budge, grinning as Dolph grouses and struggles under him, hating how Zack has the height advantage- and is slowly getting a bit of a weight advantage too due to bulking up the past few months. "Nope," he singsongs, nuzzling into Dolph's neck. "You're warm and comfortable, I think I'll stay here for awhile."

Dolph growls and tries to throw him off but again, Zack's slightly bigger than he is, and holds on, laughing vaguely as Dolph only grows more annoyed. "Dammit, kid!" Giving up, he slouches back into the pillows and tries to relax under Zack's weight, huffing. "You're fat." Zack tenses up and for a moment, Dolph regrets what he's said.

"Well, then, I guess you don't wanna see what I've gotten you, bro," Zack says, a dangerous, almost cold tone to his voice. "I'll just scalp 'em. Probably someone out there would be happy to have them."

Dolph freezes. He'd been fighting to get tickets to a Laker's game for awhile now, but... _no way._ Rolling over, he peers up at Zack's guarded face. "Kid, show me." When Zack shakes his head, Dolph grunts. "Kid! I was kidding, you're not fat. Come on..."

Zack rolls his eyes and sits up, running his hands through his hair before reacing over to grab his cell phone. Dolph watches blankly as he thumbs through something, his eyes locked on the screen determinedly. "Stubhub," he mumbles, "or... Ebay..."

Dolph's jaw drops before he scrambles. "No!" he exclaims, all but tackling Zack away from his phone. Zack grunts in shock as Dolph pins him to the sheets and snags the device, staring at it incredulously. He was just scrolling through texts, not even on a mobile browser yet. Dolph hisses and tosses the phone into the drawer of the table near the bed, ignoring Zack's protests as he starts searching Zack's shirt, his shorts, anywhere a pocket might be. "Where are they?!"

Zack stares at him challengingly as Dolph glares down at him. "Where are what, bro?" he asks innocently, swallowing when Dolph moves like he's about to search again. "You mean these?" His grin grows as he pulls two tickets out of an inside pocket, waving them at Dolph who stares at them as if hypnotized. He lets out a faint "oof" as Dolph again tackles him, trying to grab the tickets. "Nope."

Dolph blinks, disappointed, as the tickets are held away from him, Zack scrambling to hold him away and succeeding. "Kid! Give me..."

"No," he reiterates, sitting up and smacking Dolph's hands away. "I said I was sellin' them."

Dolph releases a breath, shaking his head. _I deserved that, I guess._ "No, you're not," he grunts, pulling away from Zack. Spotting the confused, annoyed look on Zack's face, he explains, "You're not fat. I was just grasping at straws to get you off of me, and it was a cheap shot. I'm sorry."

Zack smirks a little and taps the tickets. "Well, you're right on both accounts, bro." He slaps the tickets in Dolph's hands. "I'm not selling them either. After all the work to get them, ugh..." Leaning closer to the show off, he smirks. "You still wanna go?"

"What kind of question is that?" Dolph demands, staring at the tickets in disbelief before snagging Zack and drawing him closer. "Of course I want to go." Zack grins as he kisses him.


	25. Weight

Zack requests a rematch against Rusev in an attempt to regain some pride after the Memorial Day defeat. Dolph had wanted to argue with him, but Zack seems so determined that he merely rubs Zack's shoulders, kisses him before he goes, and hopes he's not making a mistake by not even trying to talk the broski out of the match. Except that things go badly early when the ring announcer introduces Zack as being at "214 pounds."

Dolph grimaces, aware of how sensitive Zack's been about his weight lately. He'd been bulking up, trying to build muscle, and for it to not even be noticed in his introduction, well... Dolph knows that won't end well, but for now, the match is still before them so he sits and watches as Zack circles Rusev, gets some offense in... just for it to end how the Memorial Day match had, with Zack trapped in the Accolade.

As bad as the match had gone, he knows that that's only going to be the tip of the iceberg in the list of things eating at Zack right now, so he runs a hand through his hair, takes a deep breath, and goes out in the halls to find the broski. Trainer's office is an easy guess but he's not there, the people inside all shrugging when Dolph asks where Zack's at. "Great, kid, what the hell?" he mumbles, shutitng the door behind him before continuing to walk around. He's close to the exit of the building when he hears something crash against the wall, clattering to the ground.

Frowning, he turns the corner and stops short, watching as Zack throws another steel pipe against the wall, breathing heavily. Another pipe goes flying, flying past not far from where Dolph is standing and he takes that as his cue to do something before Zack hurts someone, or gets into trouble for destroying the arena they'd rented out tonight. Pushing away from the wall, he walks forward and rests a hand on Zack's arm. "Kid. Stop, kid." His words aren't getting through to him so he reaches out and hugs Zack tight, pinning his arms to his sides. "Kid."

They stand there quietly, the only sounds in the area Zack's rough, loud breathing as he presses against Dolph's arms, not really fighting him. "What do I have to do, bro?" he finally asks, voice shaking a bit. "I try so hard, the internet shows, the muscle gains, everything, and it's just... like I'm invisible..."

"I know," Dolph mutters, rubbing over his ribs briskly. His breaths are calming slowly, and it's a relief. "I know. It's not the same, kid, but it doesn't go unnoticed. Guys in the locker room notice, and fans will too, you just need to be patient." Zack turns to face him, his eyes downcast, and Dolph's heart aches for him. "I know it's not what you want, and it sucks to wait, especially in this business, but sometimes that's all you can do. Just don't give up, alright?" He squeezes Zack's arms, smirk growing mischevious. "I like you like this."

Zack's brow furrows for a moment before he barks out a laugh. "Right, ok. I wasn't going to give up... I just guess I needed to vent a little, bro."

"I get it." Dolph presses his forehead to Zack's and smiles, kissing him quickly. "C'mon, let's go get you checked out by the trainer, and then we'll get something to eat, and go back to the hotel. Sound alright?"

"Sounds perfect," Zack nods, rubbing his shoulder briefly, still sore from the last couple of times spent in the Accolade. Dolph's eyes flicker towards it for a moment, doubt filling his blue gaze, before he wraps an arm around Zack and leads him back towards the trainer's office.


	26. Tricks of the Trade

After Raw, Dolph isn't sure which of them are happier to return to the hotel- himself or Zack. "You want a shower?" he asks Zack, hesitating in the bathroom doorway. Zack's currently sitting on the edge of the bed, his head lowered towards his chest. The only response Dolph gets is a quick headshake and vague wave of Zack's hand, Dolph releasing a breath as he turns and enters the bathroom, taking it as encouragement to go ahead and get ready for bed first.

He's in the process of shampooing his hair with the damage treatment specialized stuff Zack had found for him when he'd grown really concerned for his bleached hair's health when he remembers a conversation he'd had with Wade a few weeks ago, after Heath had faced Rusev. "What did he say, shoulder rubs really help?" he mumbles, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Hmm..." He had noticed Zack favoring his arms more and more since the last match against Rusev, something that had increased his worry. Relieved that he had actually remembered something Wade said, he finishes washing his hair and gets out of the shower, drying off quickly before pulling some clothes on. "Hey, kid?"

Zack is already ready for bed, blinking lazily over the top of his phone. "Yeah, bro?" He shifts, grimacing a bit when his arm protests even that little bit of a movement. If Dolph had doubted his idea before, it's wiped away at this so he sits down next to Zack on the bed. "What's up?"

Dolph examines his arm, taking in how it's still inflamed from being held in the submission for so long. He grits his teeth and wishes he could do something about Rusev, finally shaking his head. Swatting Zack on the side, he motions with his head. "Roll over, kid. Let's see what we can do about that."

"What?" Zack mumbles, his phone slipping out of his lax fingers as Dolph takes it and lays it on the bedside table. "Uh, bro-" He quiets when Dolph stands over him, tapping his arm impatiently. "What're you going to do?" he mumbles even as he works through the stiffness and discomfort to roll onto his stomach. "Ugh..."

As soon as he's settled, Dolph grips Zack's shoulder and begins to lightly rub. Listening to Zack's breaths, he applies more pressure, slowly kneading the muscles and tendons there. He's careful not to cause him more pain, relieved when it seems to help- Zack's breathing evens out and his body relaxes into the bedding. "You falling asleep on me, kid?" he asks softly, unsurprised when there's little more of a mumbled moan into the pillow in response. He laughs and slows down the massage, stroking down Zack's arm a couple of more times before leaving him be to rest.

Padding over to the lamp, he shuts it off before collapsing into bed and rolling over, resting an arm over Zack's lax body and pulling him closer, pressing a kiss to his arm. Zack stirs slightly and sighs. "Thanks, bro."

"Any time, kid," he whispers back, tilting Zack's face out of the pillows and lightly kissing him on the lips. "Good night."

"Night," Zack hums, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

Dolph smiles too, closing his eyes.


	27. Wait

_Releases._ It had been awhile since there had been a mass exodus like this, multiple superstars receiving that dreaded phonecall, including Zack's old tag partner, Curt Hawkins. It being a Friday, Zack usually is out, looking for the next party to check out, or something fun to do if everything else seemed lame. But today, he's stuck staring at his phone, jumping and looking a little more green every time it dares to ring, most of the calls going to voicemail. Dolph does what he can, brings him water, rubs his tense shoulders, even snags a couple of budlight limes from the fridge when nothing else seems to be helping. It and the water, and a plate of haphazardly made sandwiches- roast beef, mainly- he decided to bring in case Zack found his appetite again, sit untouched in front of Zack.

It's late, Dolph's pretty sure they won't be calling, but Zack won't be budged, so they sit on, watching and waiting. Dolph eventually gives up trying to get Zack to relax, to eat. Instead he sits back and flicks the TV on, finding Back to the Future on one of the many cable channels. He taps his fingers against his thigh, flicking a glance towards Zack now and again. He's still sitting forward, watching his phone, when the familiar dialogue registers with him and he looks up, frowning at the TV. "What're you doing, bro? You hate this movie," he says, but Dolph can tell his shoulders are already unbunching.

"I can make an exception sometimes," he mumbles, smirking a little when Zack actually keeps his eyes on the TV screen more than on the dark phone in his hand. "C'mon, kid, sit back," he says, gripping Zack by the shoulder and pulling him back against the couch cushions. He's still tense but it's that much progress, so Dolph lets him be. He sips from one of the warm budlights, making a face, before Zack seems to register the food. It can't be too appetizing, after sitting out for so long, but he doesn't seem to mind, scarfing two sandwiches down before Dolph can even say anything.

He falls quiet after eating another, and downing most of his own BLL. They watch the movie for awhile longer, Dolph keeping an eye on him. _At least he ate something,_ the Show Off thinks, dropping an arm around Zack's shoulders and pulling him closer. The phone's all but forgotten, the peace of night descending upon them when Dolph glances at the clock, surprised. _It's nearly 2 AM? Damn..._ He realizes now that they're actually watching Back to the Future II, and Zack hadn't even said anything...

Blue eyes peering down, Dolph smiles upon finding Zack's face pressed against his shoulder, the broski fast asleep. "I think you made it through another one, kid," he whispers, pressing a kiss to Zack's temple before trying to wake him up. "C'mon, I'm not listening to you complain about this couch. Wake up." He jostles Zack until he feels him stir, smiling a little. "You awake?" Zack moans and tries to snuggle back into the warmth of his neck, but Dolph shifts so he can't. "Kid, it's after 2 AM."

Zack doesn't say anything for a few moments and Dolph thinks he's dozed off again but then, "I made it through another release day?" He sounds sleepy and incredulous and all around adorable, Dolph running his fingers through his hair soothingly.

"Yeah, kid, you did. Now come on, let's go get some sleep." He stands up and reaches out for Zack's hands, clicking his fingers until Zack obliges him, Dolph pulling him to his feet and wrapping an arm around him.

"Thanks for staying with me while I waited, bro," Zack breathes out half-way down the hall.

Dolph squeezes him around the middle. "Where else would I be, kid?" He pushes the bedroom door open and guides Zack inside, not surprised that he's already half-asleep again. Settling him on the edge of the bed, he pulls Zack's shoes off and murmurs to Zack until he crawls up the bed and buries his face in the pillows, not even caring enough to take his shirt or shorts off, before he falls fast asleep. Dolph chuckles, shaking his head at the sight, settling into bed next to Zack and wrapping his arm around him. "I'm really glad you didn't get that call, kid," he whispers before closing his eyes, face pressed against Zack's arm.


	28. Boots

Zack grunts as he enters his latest hotel room, dropping down onto the bed unceremoniously. He and Dolph had been put on opposing tours, Dolph going to Long Island while Zack had been sent to Pennsylvania. Something that had left him wondering why, aching not to perform in front of his hometown crowd. He sighs and rolls over, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes before grabbing his phone and scrolling through his Twitter timeline.

He pauses, finding a short video of Dolph's match, biting his lip. "No way," he laughs weakly, playing it. Sure enough, it's Dolph on the Long Island tour, chanting "Woo woo woo!" before hitting a broski boot of his own to Alberto Del Rio in the corner of the ring. The video cuts off before Zack can see if he won with it or not, but still the fact that he did it to honor Zack... He sighs and buries his face in the sheets, feeling warm that at least his hometown crowd had seen one of his moves, even if it wasn't from him directly.

A tweet feels insignificant so he calls him and, unsurprised when he is sent on to his voicemail, leaves a quick message. "Hey, bro, call me back when you get a chance." He hangs up and then settles back onto his stomach to wait, knowing that it won't be _too_ long. Dolph's always good at returning phone calls, especially ones from him.

He's about to roll over and find something on TV to pass time until he _does_ call, when the phone rings. He doesn't even have to move, finding the device in the sheets. "Hey, bro," he says without pausing to look at the ID.

"Hey, kid." Dolph sounds sleepy so Zack wonders for a minute if maybe his call had woke him up, but Dolph continues talking, dispelling that notion immediately. "Just arrived back at the hotel and saw you called. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, bro," Zack says quietly. "Just saw a few tweets about you." Zack waits, smirking, but Dolph doesn't say anything. "Did you win with my moves, bro?"

"I did," he admits with a tired laugh. "It's been a long drive, so I'm kinda drifting here... sorry, kid."

"Nah, it's fine, bro." Zack sighs. "Thanks for using my moves, it means a lot." He smiles as Dolph breathes into the phone, murmuring under his breath. "You should go to sleep. See you at Raw?"

"Mm hmm," Dolph hums. "I'll see you then."

Zack grins. "Looking forward to it, bro. Good night."

"Night, kid."

They hang up and Zack settles back on his pillow, staring up at the ceiling. He sighs and closes his eyes, eager to fall asleep so that morning will come sooner so he can properly thank Dolph for honoring him in his hometown.


	29. Loss

Zack takes a breath as he watches a replay of Dolph losing to Wade. He had come really, really close to winning the Intercontinental championship, but somehow the British man had held strong and eaked out a victory despite losing to Dolph the week prior. Getting up, he finds his way to the trainer's office, where Dolph is already sitting, his head lowered as he ponders over his loss and where he'd maybe gone wrong.

Dolph doesn't look up when Zack enters so he sits down next to him and taps his fingers against the bench until Ziggler reaches out and grips his hand, squeezing it until he sits still. Dolph grimaces and leans over, resting his head on Zack's shoulder, feeling as the broski reaches up with his free hand and runs his fingers through his over-dyed hair. "That sucked," Dolph grunts.

"Sorry, bro," he mumbles. "I know you were really wanting to be champion again..." Dolph's fingers dig into his palm a bit but he doesn't protest, accepting the discomfort if it somehow helps the other man. He continues to run his fingers through Dolph's hair, pressing his cheek against the side of Dolph's head. "It'll be ok, bro..."

"You think so?" he mumbles, tilting his head to bury his face in the space between Zack's neck and shoulder. Zack nods and Dolph sighs. "Do you have any proof, kid? I'm just tired of constantly having my feet cut out from under me all of the time... Every time it seems like I'm getting somewhere, it just... gets ruined one way or another..."

Zack grimaces and kisses Dolph's neck. "Because I know you, bro. It's kind of cliche'd but you haven't given up, and I don't see you doing it now just because you've hit kind of a down time." He pats Dolph's chest. "If I can hold on this long, you can too."

Dolph huffs out a breath and closes his eyes as Zack hugs him. "Probably sounds ridiculous, my complaining when you barely get on TV, and I'm just sitting here complaining because I don't win titles..."

"No, it's ok," Zack mumbles. "I understand, it's rough either way. I don't mind hearing your problems. We're in a relationship, it kind of comes with the territory, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dolph concedes. "Thanks, kid." They sit quietly side by side for a few minutes until Dolph stands up, holding a hand out to him. "C'mon, let's get out of here and go relax at the hotel."

Zack takes his hand and follows him out of the trainer's office. "Sounds good to me, bro." Dolph wraps an arm around him as they leave the arena, both relieved to be out of there, away from the bustle and noise to have some time to themselves.


	30. Two Timer

_Who's gonna grab the briefcase at #MITB? I hope HEELZiggler becomes a two timer!_

Zack regrets that tweet hours later as he watches Seth Rollins win the briefcase partially thanks to Kane, grimacing. "Ugh, sorry, bro," he mumbles, feeling like his bad luck had passed onto his significant other thanks to his tweet. Sighing, he gets up and goes to meet Dolph in the halls.

His shoulders are slumped, eyes locked on his empty hands as he walks past person after person, not even looking up at them. Thus he doesn't notice Zack until he runs right into him and the broski wraps his arms around him. He huffs and hugs back, almost violently, squeezing Zack so hard that it's almost painful to breathe. "Why does this keep happening? Why can't I win anything of significance anymore?"

Zack has no good answer for him, simply rocking him back and forth in the middle of the hall until he quiets, seeming to relax. His grip around Zack's middle at least stops being quite as painful. "I'm sorry I tweeted that earlier, bro... I should've thought before I did it... I can erase it so it stops showing up in your mentions, or whatever..."

"Don't bother," Dolph sighs. He looks up, meeting Zack's eyes. "It wasn't... mean, it actually kind of makes me happy. Because at least then I had hope, you know? And to have physical proof of your support..."

Zack frowns, running his fingers through Dolph's hair. "You know you always have my support, right? Even when I don't tweet it?" 

"Yeah, I know, kid. It's just nice to have it on my phone, right now." Dolph rests his head against Zack's shoulder and listens to him breathe.

"Good, I wouldn't want you to think that I don't, bro. I know I tease you sometimes, but you really are my best friend and I want you to have every success..."

"I give as good as I get," Dolph says softly. "You deserve every success too. I am proud of you for everything you've accomplished, you know that, right? I know you wish it was more, but considering how few opportunities you're given, you always do the best you can with them."

"Some- probably most- wouldn't agree with you, but I appreciate it anyway, bro." They sit for a few minutes and Zack kisses the top of his head. "I think we need to have a cheat day, bro. Or, well, a night." Sliding his fingers into Dolph's hand, he squeezes. "What do you say we go to McDonalds and get some crappy food to tide us over for the drive to Raw?"

Dolph grimaces. "McDonalds? Going all out, are we, kid?" But Zack's eyes are gleaming and he's grinning hopefully and Dolph can't refuse him. "Alright, let's do it then." They're halfway to the door when Dolph tugs at his hand. "You're paying, right?"

Zack's exasperated sigh makes Dolph chuckle, some of the tension immediately leaving him.


	31. Cycle

Zack sighs and sits back, watching Dolph wrestle Fandango. He'd had little doubt that Dolph could beat him easily, but with Layla at ringside, Fandango is doing better than expected against the Show Off. That is, until Summer Rae interrupts and kisses Dolph deeply, distracting Fandango enough to eat a Zigzag and the pin. But everything after fails to register with Zack, the kiss playing over and over again in his mind.

He's still frowning at the TV when an ecstatic Dolph comes into the room, Summer Rae's lipstick still all over his mouth. "Kid, did you see me win?"

"Yeah, I saw it," he says, unenthused. He gets up to walk out, unable to remain in Dolph's presence when he's exuding post-kiss happiness, and his lips are that shade of red, and... Gritting his teeth, he brushes past the Show Off and heads for the door, just to be stopped short by fingers curling around his arm and pulling him back.

"Hey, kid-" Dolph falls quiet upon seeing a flash- anger, hurt, something- cross Zack's face, his fingers going slack. "Kid..."

"What do you want?" he asks, pulling his arm free and turning to glare at Dolph. "Summer too busy to keep you company now that the match is over?"

Dolph stares at him incredulously. "Kid, what's going on? Things were fine before..." He stops short, realization dawning on him. "Is it because she kissed me? Oh, come on," he sighs.

"That was more than just some kiss," Zack mumbles, looking away from him. "But whatever, I don't want to hear about how it was just her way of making Fandango jealous or anything else you'd say. You weren't doing anything to put a stop to it." He stands up and grabs his bag. "I'll see you back at the hotel."

Dolph can do nothing but watch as he leaves without a look back. "Dammit," he sighs, sitting down heavily on the bench and burying his face in his hands. Sometimes things are ok between them, and sometimes things like the bunny or Summer Rae happen and it just escalates more and more until Zack can barely stand to be in the same room as him.

He eventually grabs a ride back to the hotel with Heath and Wade, none of them talking all that much except for typical bickering between the two former Nexus members over the radio. Dolph's glad to see the hotel, staring up at the window he thinks is to their room. It's dark inside and he sighs, heading for the elevator. After it stops on the right floor, he gets out and unlocks the door to their room, finding that he's right: It's dark inside. He feels his way around, suspecting that Zack is either asleep or pretending to be asleep, and not wanting to disturb him if he _did_ actually find some rest.

When he makes it to the bathroom and turns the light on, a small sliver glowing into the main room, he's not surprised to find Zack sprawled out on the couch, back to him. "Of course," he sighs, changing his clothes and brushing his teeth as quietly as he can before slipping into bed. It's quiet, and tense, and he always hates when this happens. "Dammit..." he sighs, rolling over and punching the pillows. Sleep avoids him for most of the night, Dolph thinking about how he'll handle things in the morning when Zack's awake and maybe a little more agreeable to talking.

When, exactly, he falls asleep, he's not sure, but when he does wake up, it's late morning and he sits up with a groan, rubbing his hands over his face. "Kid?" The hotel room is quiet, the couch is empty. He doesn't even need to look at the bathroom to know Zack's gone. He sighs, his plans slipping through his fingers. "Son of a bitch..."

They barely see each other for the rest of the day, only when travel dictates it, but even then they only talk a little, and not about Summer or anything of significance. It's not until the next afternoon, when Dolph's considering just cornering Zack and making him talk, that he checks Twitter to delay the confrontation to come. It's then that he sees Zack's tweet about how the last of his merchandise had been taken off of the WWEShop website. He closes his eyes and groans, wondering when exactly Zack's spree of bad luck will stop.

Getting up, he brushes his hands off on his pants before leaving the apartment. He wanders the building, looking for somewhere that Zack would go to hide out. The laundry room is empty, the back yard is quiet, and there's no sign of him in the front either. Dolph circles the building anyway, stopping short when he comes across the fire escape. "Oh, no way," he grumbles, eyeing the rusty handles before grabbing it and hoisting himself up. He climbs the ladder until he makes it to the platform to step off of, following the stairs until he makes it to the roof.

Unsurprised to find Zack sitting on the roof, hugging his knees to his chest, Dolph rolls his eyes and pulls himself up and over. He sits down next to him and stares up at the blue sky overhead. "Y'know, I've never been up here before," he says softly. "It's kinda nice, huh?" Zack nods grimly and Dolph turns to look at him, resting a hand between his shoulderblades and massaging gently. "You don't mind me up here, do you? Just say the word, I'll leave you alone."

But Zack shakes his head, Dolph relaxing slightly. "It's fine, please stay," he murmurs. He shifts and glances at Dolph. "Sorry I've been so pissy the last few days. I was notified my shirts were going to be pulled and then I saw you making out with Summer, and it just... I guess it was the final straw. I needed some time to myself."

"I understand," Dolph murmurs. "Do you want to talk now?"

"Not really." Zack glances up and watches clouds pass for a minute before turning to look at Dolph. "I know there's nothing going on between you and Summer, I know she just wanted to make Fandango jealous. It just also succeeded at making me jealous too." He shakes his head off of a broken little laugh. "Can we just forget the past couple of days ever happened?"

"Sounds like a plan," Dolph agrees, thinking he'd do anything to take that broken look out of Zack's eyes. "Come here." He holds his arm out and waits until Zack leans over, pressing his face into Dolph's collar. "It's gonne be ok. Watch, people will complain, WWE will realize what a stupid mistake they've made, and you'll have merch again."

"Maybe," he mumbles. "And you'll never kiss Summer Rae again, right?"

Dolph chuckles, brushing his fingers through Zack's hair. "Right. There's only one person I want to kiss." Zack shifts and tilts his head, staring up at him. "Think I could do that at least?"

"Yeah," Zack mumbles, eyes fluttering when Dolph leans in and presses a slow, soft kiss to his lips. "Hmm," he sighs. "Thanks, bro. For giving me space the last couple of days... and coming to find me now."

"Well, you may be cranky, but you're my cranky broski, so I'll deal." He chuckles as Zack squeezes him tighter, resting his face against his shoulder. "At least you picked a day with decent weather to go up here."

Zack smirks. "I love you, bro."

"I love you too," Dolph murmurs, holding him closer while they stare up at the bright blue sky.


	32. Vacation

Another #1 contendership match. This time against Del Rio, for a chance for the US title. Another loss. Dolph sighs tiredly and scrubs at his face before staring at his hands. Zack had tweeted earlier in the week about being on "vacation", since he hadn't been booked this week. The more Dolph thinks about it, the more he's tired of not seeing Zack as often as he'd like. Either they're booked on separate live events, or Zack's not brought out at all... "Well, only one way to fix that," he mumbles, collecting his things and heading for the car.

The drive to Long Island is painfully long, Dolph's already tired eyes gritty and redrimmed halfway to Zack's apartment. But he's desperate to see the man, at least spend a couple of days with him, so he sucks it up, chokes more caffeine down at every opportunity and continues on his way. The sun is close to rising, it something after 4 AM when Dolph arrives. He's so tired it's hard to find the energy to pull the keys out of the ignition, much less actually get out of the car, so he sits in the driveway and stares up at Zack's bedroom window, pondering.

There's been a fair amount of tension lately, mostly due to the bunny and Summer Rae, Dolph closing his eyes and leaning back wearily against the headrest of the car seat. "Please, just one night, kid, let there be no new crisises," he mumbles tiredly, finally pulling himself out of the car and collecting his bags. The walk up the stairs to Zack's apartment are torturous and he considers laying down and sleeping half way up, but fights through it anyway. He unlocks the door with a yawn and drops his bag next to the door, only stopping long enough to make sure it's locked before he continues on through the apartment, pulling off clothes as he goes.

His shoes land somewhere by the bed, the noise not even enough to make Zack stir and Dolph huffs out a quiet little laugh before dropping down next to him and wrapping an arm around him. Feeling him breathe steadily, listening to his soft murmurs as he dreams about _who-knows-what_, Dolph chuckles and presses his face between Zack's shoulderblades, breathing him in for a moment. When the broski stirs, Dolph feels _almost_ guilty but then Zack rolls over and wraps an arm around him and pulls him close. "Bro?"

"Mm hmm," he whispers against Zack's chest. "I missed you," he admits to the darkness. "So I drove all the way here... You're alright with that, right?"

Zack breathes in and out a few moments before saying sleepily, "I missed you too." He buries his face in Dolph's hair, kissing the top of his head before drifting back to sleep, and Dolph smiles, Zack's warmth and his own exhaustion pulling him under as well, for the best night of sleep either of them have had in awhile.


	33. Overdoing

Late night exercising. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. And doesn't say anything about it.

Dolph rolls his eyes as he glances over at Zack, noticing now how stiff he's carrying himself while driving back to the apartment. He turns his phone off and tries to act like everything's normal until they get out of the car and Zack's walking carefully towards the building, each step fresh agony for his spine. Dolph pockets his phone before coming up behind Zack and slapping him hard on the back, _almost_ grinning when the broski hisses in pain.

"Ow! Son of a bitch, bro, what was that for?" he demands through gritted teeth, struggling to breathe in and unable to stand up straight. Dolph frowns, feeling a little bit guilty as Zack rubs his lower back gingerly, pushing the door to the staircase open. Glad that Zack's apartment building is only a few floors tall, Dolph follows him up nearly a floor before Zack is hobbling slowly. Zack tenses up as if expecting another attack when Dolph grips his arm and wraps it around his shoulders, taking some of his weight and helping him along the next set of steps. "What are you doing, bro?"

"Helping out, idiot. Why didn't you say you hurt yourself in the gym? I had to read it in a tweet?" he demands, squeezing Zack's side. Zack grimaces but says nothing as they walk the rest of the way to the second floor. Dolph sighs. "I know you still have back problems sometimes from the Kane thing. If it's a pride thing, since when have _either_ of us had pride? We've both done dumb things and have our share of injuries. I'd like to help you through yours, just like I know you like to help me through mine. LIke when I forget crap because of my concussions, or whatever. So why can't you let me do the same? Huh?"

"It's just... it's different," Zack grunts as Dolph pushes open the door to the third floor and guides him through it, now basically dragging him along as his back spasms even harder. "The whole back injury thing syncs up with the Eve thing and I don't want to remind either of us of that time... when we were apart, and you were about to get with AJ, and all of the bad stuff that came out of it."

Dolph listens silently, releasing a breath. "Sure, but your back problems is still a reality and when I think about helping you, what happened in the past- when we _weren't_ together- doesn't really matter. I'd rather keep you from hurting yourself further than deal with some emotional fallout from something that happened years ago. Alright?" He waits for an answer which never comes, finally stopping and pushing Zack up against the wall, making sure he won't fall. "My first serious concussion happened when I was with AJ. You've never shied away from it, I'm not going to shy away from this just because you were hoping for something with Eve at the time."

Zack sighs and groans, his head falling forward. "When you put it that way..." Looking up, he grimaces. "This hurts so much, bro. Not _ER _hurt, but _exacerbated old spinal injury_ shit..." Dolph nods, eyes shining with sympathy as he pulls Zack back out and proceeds up the stairs carefully, Zack breathing through the pain with his eyes closed.

"Almost there, kid," he murmurs. "Hang on a little longer." Zack murmurs, somehow keeping his feet under him until they arrive at his door, Dolph unlocking it quickly. He guides Zack inside and pauses. "Bed or couch?"

Zack wavers, looking at the couch. "Bed. I'm tired of the couch."

Relieved at this answer, Dolph eases him into the bedroom and whispers, "Lay on your stomach, kid, and I'll get some ice." He stays until Zack's settled comfortably, his face buried into his pillows, before heading for the kitchen. Once he's finished placing the ice on Zack's inflamed back, he kneels down and kisses Zack's arm. "What do you want to eat? Hmm?" Zack blinks sluggishly at him and Dolph smiles at how young he looks. "Mac and cheese? You like my mac and cheese, right?"

"Yeah, bro. That sounds pretty good."

Dolph smiles. "Alright, you relax and I'll go make it." He strokes Zack's shoulder for a few moments before getting up. He's barely taken a step when he realizes that Zack has his hand, tugging a little. "What is it, kid?"

"Just... thanks, bro. What would I do without you?" he asks sleepily.

Dolph squeezes his hand and shakes his head, eyes softening. "I don't know, kid. And neither will you."

"Good." Zack grins slightly, letting him go before slumping back into the pillows. "I'm hungry, bro, hurry it up, yeah?"

"Yeah yeah," Dolph huffs, rolling his eyes. He hesitates before going, watching him breathe for a minute. Shaking his head fondly, he ruffles Zack's hair and kisses his shoulder once more before leaving to start the noodles.


	34. Japan

Dolph stares out over the skyline of Osaka, sighing. It's beautiful, he enjoys competing in front of different people, each country's reactions just a little bit different. The Japanese crowds are polite and subdued, but no less passionate when something about wrestling impresses them. As much fun as he's having, there's something missing. He stares at his phone lock screen, a picture he and Zack had taken on the beach before Dolph had had to fly out, Zack looking startled as Dolph dumped a handful of sand on his head before he could take the picture.

He chuckles fondly, dialing the familiar number. Yeah, international calls are expensive, but considering, it's worth it. Especially with the uncomfortable knowledge that Zack is at home, bored and dissatisfied due to not being used much at all, and missing out on amazing places like these. When the phone clicks, he takes in a breath. "Hey, kid."

There's a pause and Dolph is about to check to make sure the call had connected, when... "Hey, bro." He can feel Zack's grin through the phone line and it makes him grin too. "How's it going?"

"Going ok," Dolph says, leaning back against his pillows and continuing to stare out of the window. "Not the same without you though."

"I miss you too," Zack says after a moment, the wistfulness in his voice slicing through Dolph like a knife. "What're you looking at right now?"

Dolph tilts his head and proceeds to describe the sights to Zack, who listens quietly until Dolph's words fail him and he falls quiet once more. "How about you?"

"The empty half of the bed," he mumbles, a slight shuffling sound heard over the phone.

Dolph grimaces, feeling even more guilt at this. "Did I wake you up, kid? Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention to timezones... Just wanted to hear your voice..."

"It's fine, I wasn't really sleeping." He yawns, belying his own words. Before Dolph can say anything about it, he plows on. "The beach wasn't too bad today. Kind of quiet, for once."

"I saw your tweet about being there earlier," Dolph says, stretching out and closing his eyes. "Having a tanline problem, huh?" Zack's dissatisfied noise in response makes him laugh softly. "Well, kid, you know how to fix that."

"It wasn't _that_ quiet, bro!" he exclaims, flustered. "You want me to get fired?"

"No, of course not." Dolph smirks, shaking his head. Taking a breath, he releases it softly. "Just a couple of more days here, then I'll be home and we'll figure out how to straighten your tan out. How's that sound?"

"Really good, bro. Thanks."

"Any time, kid. I'll call you later, and I'll make sure to check the timezones."

"Don't worry about it, call whenever." Zack still sounds lonely, Dolph's smile slipping. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon." He listens as Zack murmurs a quiet bye before hanging up, his eyes turning back to the photo of them. "Ugh, kid," he sighs. "Things have to turn around for you... no one deserves it more..."

He closes his eyes, trying not to dwell on Zack alone up in Long Island, with nothing to do but think about his tanlines and lack of a sustained push.


	35. Harsh

After filming the JBL and Cole Show for the week, Dolph wanders through the halls of the arena, humming to himself. He replays the scene, remembering everything he'd said about Zack- his out of stock merchandice, his lack of a girlfriend- which, duh- and even mocking his Internet title and the fact that he'd lost to him all of those years ago. The more he thinks about it, the worse he feels, aware that Zack will actually go back and watch that segment, hear everything Dolph said about him, rehashing all of the bad memories from their feud over the IC title. "Shit," he mutters.

His aimless wandering becomes a search for the broski, to perhaps give him a head's up, when he finds himself at the ringside area. A few guys are always scattered around, getting pre-show nerves worked out, usually by competing in practice matches and whatever. Currently, Ricardo Rodriguez and Heath Slater are inside, exchanging some bizarre kind of chain wrestling that Ricardo is clearly getting the upperhand on when Heath kicks his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the mat and leaving him woozy enough for Heath to lift him and hit the Sweetness, before pinning him. As they roll out, Dolph grips Zack's arm. "Us next!" he calls out before someone else can claim the ring.

Zack sputters, staring at him in surprise. "What?! Bro-" He doesn't fight, however, allowing Dolph to drag him into the ring. He raises his eyebrows as soon as they're safely inside, staring at Dolph incredulously. "What's going on, bro?" They'd wrestled a time or two, on Saturday Morning Slam, and at house shows, but here, now, surrounded by their colleagues before a show... He's not sure what to think. "Dolph..."

"Just, go with it, ok?" he asks, shaking his hands out and preparing for the impromptu show down. Zack still looks uncertain but follows Dolph's lead, the two circling each other for a few moments before tying up in the middle of the ring, Dolph expecting to come out ahead easily but Zack's bulking up has also given him more upperbody strength and he lands hard, gaping over at Zack after getting thrown off.

Zack laughs and half-shrugs. "Not sure why we're doing this, bro, but I'm not gonna take it easy on you." Dolph gets back to his feet and punches Zack repeatedly, counting to five in his head before wrenching him back in a sleeperhold. Zack hadn't been expecting that after the somewhat easy start, so he's unprepared for the abrupt lack of traction as his knees turn to jelly under him and he drops slowly to the mat. Dolph suspects it's a tactic to conserve energy until he can work up the fight to get out of it, and sure enough, before long, Zack struggles back to his feet and lifts Dolph, slamming him backwards against the mat.

They separate, Dolph rolling away a few feet while Zack shakes off the lingering dizziness caused by the move. When Dolph heads for him again, Zack lunges and dropkicks him back, his curiosity winning out over his need to succeed at this practice bout. He straddles Dolph and pins his shoulders down, raising his eyebrows at Dolph. "Why are you doing this? You _never_ come out for practice matches, especially against me." Dolph kicks out, then struggles upwards as Zack resumes the pin attempt. Another kick out and Zack shakes his head, rolling off of him and meeting him with a solid forearm, dazing him further. "What's going on with you?"

"You'll know when you watch JBL and Cole show," he snaps, punching blindly and missing.

Zack sighs and kicks Dolph in the leg, watching as he staggers into position for a bulldog into the corner, his legs failing him this time as he collapses into the corner. "What did you say this time?" he asks after hitting a broski boot, Dolph's head whipping to the side with the force of it.

He blinks lazily and tries to remember. "I, uh... the bunny was trying to buy your merch and..." The more he explains the more annoyed Zack looks, his touch far from gentle as he grips Dolph and pulls him up for the Rough Ryder. "Kid? Kid? HEY!" But it's too late, Zack slams into Dolph's neck and lower face and sends him to the mat with his leg, rolling into a pin. The wrestlers scattered around count it and he rolls off, laying on the mat while they wait for someone else to lay claim to the ring. Dolph stirs after a few moments and finds his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"If you want to make things up to me, don't just... drag me into the ring and then tell me," Zack grouses. "Unless you like me beating you up."

"Well..." Dolph smirks suggestively towards him but Zack's expression doesn't change so he sighs, shoulders slumping. "Fine. I'm really sorry, kid. Things I think are funny come out a little more meaner than I expect, and it's just... I don't know..." He sighs. "Forgive me?"

Zack shrugs, his eyes sharpening when Dolph rolls over and kisses him, ignoring the wrestlers scattered around the ring waiting to have their own turn. "I guess," he mumbles. "Let me watch it first."

"Aw c'mon, kid," Dolph whines, pulling away just to find that Zack's smirking now. "Idiot," he mumbles, kissing Zack again. Before the others could riot over them hijacking the ring for so long, he stands and holds a hand out, gripping Zack's and pulling him up. They leave the ring side by side and, as sounds of competition resume behind them, Dolph hugs the broski. "We're really ok, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, if I had lost to you, it might've been different, but let's just say we're even, huh?" Zack laughs when Dolph huffs and rolls his eyes, squeezing him tighter. "I love you, bro."

"Love you too, kid," he murmurs.


	36. Two for One

Zack laughs, his face still covered in Summer and Layla's lipstick. He'd just beat Fandango thanks to them, and they had repaid him kindly, even continuing it in an app exclusive. He smirks as he walks down the hall, in no hurry to clean the signs of the ladies' affection from his flesh. Everyone's whispers and giggles as he passes encourages him on, his smugness growing until he's outside of the main locker room, Dolph waiting for him with his arms crossed bitterly over his chest. His grin slowly slips and he raises his eyebrows. "Bro?"

"Did you enjoy that?" Dolph mumbles, clearly displeased with what had just happened, the interview that followed, all of it.

Zack stares at him, confused. "Wha-?" Dolph rolls his eyes bitterly as Zack sits next to him. "Bro, what are you mad about? This isn't that different than what Summer did with you a couple weeks ago..."

"Yes it is," Dolph snaps, still staring at him darkly. "Summer and I was just some meaningless kiss, those two were all over you for a good five minutes!" Zack stands there blankly as he pushes past him, grabbing a paper towel and a bottle of Purell. "Go wash your damn face, kid, you look pathetic."

Zack takes the towel and the bottle, shaking his head. "I'm not the pathetic one right now."

Dolph laughs. "What did you just say?" he demands, grabbing at Zack's hand before he can leave the room.

"Get off," Zack snaps, shaking his hand free. "You're jealous because they attacked me, I didn't reciprocate any of those kisses. Yeah, I may look kind of ridiculous, but if you and Summer were nothing, then all of this was nothing too." They stare at each for a minute until Zack turns and leaves, his face flushed with anger.

It's not until he's outside that he realizes he still has the paper towel and Purell crunched up in both hands, gritting his teeth angrily. "Dammit." Sitting down grumpily, he brushes the paper towel over his face roughly, smearing the lipstick all over his skin as he stares at the night sky overhead. Time passes as he slowly cools off, taking deep breaths and aimlessly pouring some of the Purell in his hands and wiping at his face some more.

He barely notices when the door opens once more but he does observe familiar, hesitant footsteps as they approach. Neither man say a word when Dolph sits next to him, reaching over to take the bottle and mangled paper towel from him, carefully wiping off the last of the lipstick from his flesh. His skin is bright red from being rubbed so roughly at first and it stinks of the disinfectant, Dolph cringing when he gets a good look at him. "I'm sorry," he mumbles.

"Of course you are." Zack purposely looks anywhere but at him, trying to breathe normally. "What are you doing out here, finding some other reason to yell at me?" He can't help it, finally looking over at Dolph and taking in the stricken look on his face. "It wasn't my fault, bro. I was booked in this match, and I didn't know what Layla and Summer were going to do. Just like you apparently didn't know what Summer was going to do a few weeks ago. So why am I the one getting yelled at, when you expected me just to forget everything so easily when it happened to you?"

Dolph grimaces, seeing the truth behind his words. How Zack _had_ forgiven him and allowed them to move past it, unlike himself, who shamed Zack in the locker room in front of everyone and threw cleaning supplies at him until he'd given up and left. "I don't know," he murmurs. "I guess... it just brought me back, you know. When I took things too far and screwed up with Princess Leia and you started getting interested in Eve. We didn't make it through that, and I don't... want to see it happen again, I can't allow it to. Didn't go about it the right way, of course, but..." He groans and presses his hands into fists. "I don't know."

Zack reaches over and rests a hand over the nearest fist, squeezing lightly. "It's just something we have to work through together, bro. That's what broke us apart last time, we didn't... communicate well... and things kept getting between us. At least now when things go wrong, we generally at least try to talk them out." He strokes Dolph's tense knuckles until he relaxes his fingers and turns his palm to grip Zack's hand back, squeezing lightly. "It's progress, right?"

He sounds desperate, young, and Dolph sighs, nodding. "Yeah, it is, kid." They sit side by side, staring into each other's eyes for a few moments, before Dolph leans in, closing his eyes. "I guess you won't mind the lack of lipstick when I..." His words fade away when Zack rolls his eyes, grips him by the back of the neck and kisses him. They sigh as one, all of the arguments and tension fading away as they give into the moment. "I love you," he mumbles.

"Love you too," Zack returns, not bothering to break the kiss even when he feels Dolph start to smirk.


	37. Final Straw

_Congrats to my bro ZackRyder hes in the battle royal for the intercontinental title at battleground. hmm what gear tho_

Zack grits his teeth as he reads the tweet a few times over, eyes locked on the bunny emoji that punctuates the short missive. "I'm not The Bunny! Dammit," he grunts, almost tossing his phone clear across the room. "Ugh..." He doesn't look at the screen, not wanting his conscience to get the best of him, as he tweets back, simply, _I hate you._ Gritting his teeth, he tosses his phone towards his bag and zips it up angrily, hoisting it up and leaving the locker room. They have a couple days off and he'll be heading back to Long Island while Dolph flies out in the opposite direction towards Arizona.

He closes his eyes and pinches his nose, shaking his head. He'd been looking forward to the match, just for Dolph's tweet to extinguish most of his hope of walking into this thing without being seen as just some joke, fodder to be thrown out within the first two minutes of the match. _Maybe the time apart will be good._ Even during their arguments in the past, they'd stayed in the same hotel room or at his apartment, not having the opportunity to breathe without the other one watching.

Even so, when he gets out of his rental and enters the airport, he can't deny just how empty he feels...

-x

Dolph frowns at his phone, grimacing. "Dammit, did it again," he sighs. Things are still up and down with Zack, though they'd been a bit better after the whole Summer and Layla thing, but he's pretty sure the tweet Zack just sent him means he'd undone the progress they'd made in the past few weeks. He was planning on going home, relaxing by the pool, catching up on Arizona responsibilities, maybe check out a few stand up events, and then spend a couple more weeks at Zack's apartment between house shows, but the more he stares at the three, harsh words Zack had sent him, he knows he can't do that.

For a moment, he considers looking for him at the gates, but with heightened security at all airports, he knows it's impossible. Sighing, he drags his bag over to the customer service desk and smiles warily at the woman working there, hoping his charms will push this along. "Excuse me, is there any way I can exchange my ticket to Arizona for one to Long Island?"

The line is long, and he doesn't see Zack anywhere so he suspects they're on different flights, Dolph holding his breath until he's actually on the plane, wedged between two unimpressed men. It's the best he could get at this late hour, however, so he sucks it up and taps his fingers against his knees, waiting impatiently to find Zack, try to make things right again. As personal as things had gotten, even in their breakup all of those years ago, neither of them had ever said _hate_ to the other, and for this reason he can't just let things sit until next week. _Of course,_ he thinks. _ Zack finally gets another chance at a title belt and this is how I congratulate him... me and my big mouth..._

Long Island is warm, bustling, when he lands. There's no sign of Zack in or out of the airport either so Dolph figures that he's left already, paying for a rental car and heading out to find him. His apartment is dark and quiet so Dolph doesn't even bother, continuing on. There are only a few places Zack would bother to go after a lengthy flight so Dolph drives on, bypassing the nearby bar that Zack likes to get Budlight Limes sometimes, heading to the beach. He frowns and digs around in his suitcase, relieved- there's a leftover beach pass there and he holds it at the ready to gain entrance to the parking lot, nodding at the attendant.

Considering the hour, the beach is still really busy, the warm weather drawing families and couples out. Despite this, it isn't that hard to find Zack slumped on a bright purple towel and Dolph nods, kicking sand as he approaches him. "Hey, kid."

Zack tenses and grits his teeth, not bothering to look up at him. "I thought you were going to Arizona."

"Changed my mind," he says simply, sitting down next to him. "Saw your tweet."

Zack huffs and scrapes trails in the sand with his fingernails before standing up and walking towards the water, not even seeming to mind that he's not really in proper swimwear- just a tank top and some shorts. Dolph watches him go, amazed at just how badly he seems to have pissed him off, before going after him. Zack ignores him as he walks through the wake, getting further out into the water.

"Dammit, kid, come on!" Dolph yells, chasing after him. He's tired, and he has a headache, and he'd screwed up a bunch of plans he had for the weekend just to come here, smooth things over with Zack, and he won't even look at him... It's a comedy of errors then, Dolph's distraction working against him as a kid on a surfboard cuts way too close and Dolph has to leap back to avoid getting slammed in the midsection. He lands hard in the water, watching as Zack continues on, unaware of what's going on. "Son of a bitch," he spits, brushing seaweed out of his hair. "Zack!"

The broski ignores or doesn't hear him over the wind and waves so Dolph forces himself up to his feet, unaware of the changes in the water as he gets deeper out, only just keeping Zack in sight as he swims further. Never that strong of a swimmer, Dolph does the best he can even when the water gets deep enough to make him uncomfortable, his breath catching in his throat when Zack disappears from sight completely. "What the-?!" His curse is disrupted when something tickles against his foot and he yelps, losing traction and slipping underwater for just a second, but enough time to inhale a small amount of water.

He struggles up to the surface and gasps in air, completely out of his element and uncertain where he's at now. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," he groans. It's then that he realizes the current is strong in this spot, taking him with it and he pales, the awareness of just how bad this really is washing over him. He fights against it but he's aware the more he does, the better his chances are of going under again, so he tries to conserve his strength while remaining in sight of the beach. "This would make for the lamest headline ever," he whispers to himself, voice hitching in his throat at the thought of not even getting the chance to apologize to Zack- again- when there's a splash not far away and arms wrap around his midsection, drawing him away from the current and back onto the sand.

"Ugh, God," he wheezes, leaning into the arms of his rescuer and glaring over his shoulder. "Dammit, kid. What were you doing this far out?" 

"I wasn't this far out, bro," he says, sounding a little shaky. "I turned off and didn't see you, so I thought you gave up following me... but then I looked back and saw you struggling..." He presses his face into Dolph's slowly fading dye job and shakes his head. "Might not have noticed if not for your hair, bro," he mumbles.

Dolph turns around in his arms and stares up at him, deciding not to waste any more time. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? That tweet I sent was stupid, I deserved your anger. Some of these things, they're an easy target and it brings out the worst in me." He sighs. "Will you forgive me... again?" 

Zack still looks shaken from Dolph's close call, searching his face. "Yeah, bro, sure," he mumbles, before kissing Dolph. "Just don't scare me like that again, alright? These currents aren't anything to play in... if I hadn't seen you..."

Dolph strokes his arms, smirking vaguely. "I'm ok. Really, kid. Can we leave now?"

Zack nods and takes his hand, leading him back up the beach to where his towel is, collecting it and the other stuff of his scattered around before they head for the car. "Didn't you have things to do in Arizona this weekend, bro?"

Dolph groans, his to-do list for the coming week multiplying. "Don't remind me." Even so, he can't help but smile as Zack wraps an arm around him. _Definitely worth it._


	38. Weekend

It's one of those rare times that Zack and Dolph both have a weekend off so they decide to take full advantage of it, even going to the movies. Dolph had suggested the comedy _Sex Tape_ and Zack had agreed with a lot of eyerolling and pouring over the movie listings, wishing that the TMNT movie had come out a little sooner.

"Oh come on, kid, it won't be that bad... and if it is, we can just create our first date," Dolph wheedles, smirking suggestively as Zack snorts, looking up from his phone.

"You mean where we made out the whole time? I'm still not sure what happened in that movie, or even _what_ movie it was."

Dolph laughs and pulls him closer, kissing him. "Well, you were pretty hot that night. Couldn't help myself."

Zack rolls his eyes again, mumbling something about _charm_ and Dolph's grin widens as he lightly kisses him on the lips. "C'mon, let's get this over with, though if we're just going to spend the entire time like this, we might as well stay home..."

"What's the fun in that?" Dolph asks, tangling his fingers in Zack's jacket and pulling him closer, smirking when Zack's eyes darken, locked on him. "Last one to the car has to buy the candy."

Zack's jaw drops as Dolph pulls away and sprints for the front door "Not fair! Dammit, bro!"

Later, as they enter the dark theater, Dolph laughs, glancing over at the pile of candy Zack's carrying, a grumpy look on his face. He adjusts the popcorn barrel and their sodas before gripping Zack's hand and leading him to a seat in the back of the theater. It's only when they sit down that they realize they're alone, the theater completely quiet except for the ads playing on the jumbo screen across from them. "Huh." 

Zack stares at all of the empty seats, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's a good sign." Dolph shrugs and takes a handful of the popcorn before Zack grabs the barrel from him and presses the candy into his hands. Ignoring Dolph's pout, he starts shoveling in popcorn as quickly as he can and leaves Dolph to the Junior Mints and nonpariels. The movie deserves the crowd it has, Zack's eyes glazing over within fifteen minutes. The only reason he stays is because Dolph seems enthralled by it, barely looking over at Zack until it's over.

His suspicious silence lasts until they're back in the car and Zack's preparing to drive back to the apartment. The first sound he makes is close to a bark of laughter, ending on a broken kind of sob and Zack looks over at him worriedly but before he can say anything, Dolph chokes out, "Oh my God, that was the worst movie I've seen in a long time, broski. What the hell?! I couldn't even look away from it, it was so bad. Like a ... trainwreck or something."

"I thought you couldn't look away from it because you liked it or something!" Zack exclaims, hitting the brake in his shock.

"No!" Dolph cries out, turning to look at Zack. "I was hoping someone would save me from the torture! Kid, I swear, no matter what, next time _you_ get the movie."

Zack throws his head back and laughs before turning back to look at Dolph, eyes gleaming. "I'll hold you to that," he promises, cupping Dolph's face and kissing him warmly. "How about we go home and see what we can do to wash that movie from our minds?" 

"Anything would be a positive after that," he agrees.

An hour later, Zack smirks and sprawls out on the cool tile floor of the bathroom, listening to Dolph mumble under his breath. "Hey, you said anything would be a positive after that."

"This? Really? I had other ideas," Dolph mumbles, barely looking up from his phone as he absently sprays tanner at Zack's back.

"It's still early," Zack smirks, shifting and sighing as Dolph looks up, finally grabbing a towel and dabbing his back where the spray had settled too thickly in spots. "How's it look, bro?"

"Sick," he intones drily, Zack rolling over to make a face at him. "No, it looks fine. Give it a few minutes to dry though."

"Yep." He snags Dolph's phone and logs out, smirking as the Show Off settles on the floor next to him. "That movie was the absolute worst," he mumbles, logging into his own account just to tweet about it.

"Pretty much." Careful to avoid his back, Dolph nuzzles against his arm and kisses his neck lazily. "I bet we could outdo it easily." He smirks as Zack grows warm under his ministrations.

"Well, duh, bro," he mumbles back, quickly finishing with the phone and laying it down. "C'mon, let's go." He gets up and grabs Dolph's hand, dragging him to his feet too.

"My phone-" Dolph protests as Zack ushers him out of the bathroom.

"Later, bro, later. It's not going anywhere."

Dolph's protests fade into quiet murmurs as Zack kisses his throat and neck, sighing softly. "Alright, I guess," he grunts, gripping Zack's face and guiding him closer until Dolph can kiss him properly.


	39. Second

The Battle Royal to determine the new holder of the vacated Intercontinental title. Something that the nineteen men in the match had been looking forward to, eager to prove themselves by winning it for the first time, or reclaiming the gold. Zack and Dolph were both in it, both hungry to get another opportunity at gold, and had wished each other luck before hand, before giving into the pure competitiveness of it all, vowing to be successful.

Except that it hadn't happened for either of them. Zack had been eliminated second, and Dolph had been eliminated last. After changing back into street clothes, they return to the hotel, silent in the face of their individual failures, and Zack ducks into the bathroom after Dolph exits to stand under scorching hot water and try to forget. His skin is red when he comes out but he ignores it as he throws on a pair of shorts and collapses into bed next to Dolph, closing his eyes. Neither of them say anything, nor bother to turn the lights or TV on.

After a few minutes, Dolph rolls over and rests his head on Zack's shoulder, breathing in his shampoo. "So what's worse? Being the second eliminated, or the second to last in the ring? Dammit, Miz." He grumbles and traces Zack's skin with his fingers.

"At least you had a chance," Zack mumbles. "Khali just... screwed everything up."

Dolph nods soberly and presses a kiss to Zack's neck. "I know, kid. I did do what I could to help eliminate him after that, though. I know it's not much help, but at least he didn't last much longer, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." They lay quietly for a few minutes before Zack laughs. "Can you believe Heath lasted so long? And Barrett predicted he'd eliminate Cesaro..."

"Yeah." Dolph mulls it over for a minute before sitting up, staring into Zack's eyes. "Alright, here's what we do. Next time you're in a match for a title belt, as long as it doesn't involve me," he pauses to wink, "I'll make some outrageous prediction on who you'll eliminate or defeat, and then it'll happen and you can dedicate your title victory to me, and we'll both be happy, alright?"

Zack purses his lips, examining him. "Fine, but don't go injuring yourself just to make it happen. Titles aren't _that_ important to me." They hesitate for a minute, thinking about the days when titles _did_ mean just a little too much to them both, ruining what they had. How things have changed...

"I won't," Dolph murmurs, shaking _those_ memories off. "I promise."

"Good." Zack smirks as Dolph kisses him, sighing. "You'd better not."

Pressing his forehead to Zack's, Dolph stares into his eyes warmly and nods before nuzzling into his neck, Zack's arm warm around his waist until they both doze off, eager to start fresh the next day and leave all of this behind them.


	40. Girls Girls Girls

Zack actually wakes up first that morning, Dolph still lost in dreamland after another tiring series of events, and body-breaking matches. The broski smirks and brushes Dolph's hair out of his eyes, watching him sleep for a moment, before leaving the room so as not to disturb him. He yawns and rubs at his eyes before stopping short, turning back to look at a clock he'd just passed. "No friggin way." It's well after noon, and he gapes at the clock. "Ugh, wow. Guess we were both more exhausted than I realized..."

Not bothering to put more clothes on, he pads down to the front door in what he'd slept in and checks the boxes where their mail waits, not surprised to find it'd come long ago. He unlocks his box and pulls out a pile of letters and fliers, holding it close to his chest as he goes back upstairs and re-enters his apartment. There's nothing new there, just the standard bills and junk so he throws some in the trash and some on the table with the rest of the mail waiting for attention, before grabbing his phone and going to check his email.

The usual junk and advertisements there too, until he spots an email from WWE. His eyes brighten as he opens it, hopeful, and reads it hurriedly. Fist pumping, he drops the phone onto the couch and rushes back to the bedroom, suddenly not caring that Dolph's still asleep. He hops onto the bed and laughs as Dolph wakes up, eyes wide as he's jostled. "What the hell?!"

Zack's grin is blinding as he leans in and kisses Dolph, smirking. "I just received the email from WWE! They confirmed we're free those dates and can go to see Motley Crue in Jones Beach!"

Dolph still looks cranky until the words register with him, the tickets that they'd taken the chance on buying all of those months ago now not a waste. "Really?"

"Yes, bro! This is going to be siiiiiiiiiiiick!" Zack laughs when Dolph pushes him over and hovers above him, examining his face with an unreadable expression. "Right?"

"Hell yes, kid," Dolph mutters. "I might even forgive you for waking me up..." He leans in and kisses Zack hard, breathing in his surprised groan. "Girls, girls, girls," he sings faintly, pressing another kiss to Zack's lips.

"Hey," the younger man pouts, pulled out of the moment as he glares at Dolph.

"... that I will have to beat off of you with a stick, kid," he finishes smoothly, an innocent look on his face as Zack shakes his head.

"Hmph," he huffs. "Next time you can just wait to check your own damn email." But he's never had much willpower when it comes to _that_ almost pitiful look on Dolph's face, so he gives in when Dolph kisses him again and runs his fingers through Dolph's hair, holding him close. "It's gonna be a great weekend... I can't wait."

"Me neither, kid," Dolph breathes out, grinning.


	41. Bad

Staring at a cookbook for hours had made Zack's eyes cross, leaving him almost considering abandoning this as a failed venture, but dammit... it had been a rocky past few months with all of their arguments and misunderstandings and he wants to do something special for Dolph's birthday, even if he's a crappy cook. "Maybe I should just pick one up," he mumbles, rubbing his eyes and inadvertantly leaving flour all over his nose and cheeks. But the final piece of the meal was supposed to be a homemade cake, like his mom used to make for him... and however tempting it is to call home and beg for help, he wants to be able to say he'd done it on his own, specially for Dolph's birthday.

So he perseveres and finally comes up for air with something that looks ok and tastes decent in the oven, timer and temperature carefully set. Grunting, he leaves it to its own devices, tiptoeing out of the kitchen- his mother's old warnings to him and his brother to step carefully or risk causing the cake to fall echoing in his head- and into the living room, where he collapses onto the couch and drops an arm over his face. He has a carry out order for Chipotle that he'll be picking up as soon as the cake is cooling, and then he'll ice the cake before Dolph returns home from some media event. And everything'll be perfect.

Yawning, he grabs for his phone to pass some time and scrolls through his timeline, barely paying attention to what he's seeing until he spots Summer tweeting Dolph a happy birthday, with kissy emojis, and... He grimaces, ignoring it until he scrolls down further and comes upon Dolph's response, which is just as sickening. He's tired and covered in flour, and his response to them is purely fueled by jealousy and capslocked to hell. Of course neither of them respond and he gets up, tossing his phone somewhere that he can't see it before pacing around the living room, tugging at his hair until the oven timer goes off, the beeping making him only angrier.

He storms into the kitchen, grabs oven mits, pulls the cake pan out and tosses it onto the stove, where it lands with a loud thud. Pulling the mits back off, he grabs his keys and heads out for Chipotle. He barely makes eye contact with anyone, staying only long enough to pay- telling them to keep the difference so he doesn't have to wait for change to be returned to him- and leaving without bothering to check to make sure the order is right. Arriving back to his apartment, he places the food in the fridge so it'll hold until Ziggler returns and then turns his attention to the cake.

He's almost shaking in his anger, and he's sure the cake tears a little when he presses down on it roughly with the icing covered knife, but the buttercream frosting he had also mixed together earlier in the afternoon seems to cover it sufficently so he puts the lid back on the pan and places it on the counter to wait to be eaten. He's still sitting in the kitchen, staring down at his phone, when Dolph finally returns.

The tweet that had haunted him all morning is on the screen, impossible to miss when Dolph leans in to kiss him. His lips are pressed against Zack's cheek, his brows furrowed in confusion after Zack had twisted away from a proper kiss, when he sees the words on the phone and he freezes. "Shit," he breathes. "Kid-"

Zack lays the phone down, so slowly that it clearly gives away just how desperately he is trying not to lose it. "There's food in the fridge," he says softly. "Cake on the table. Happy birthday." He stands up and walks past Dolph, leaving him standing in the kitchen with his mouth agape as Zack leaves the room.

A minute later, the bedroom door clicks shut and Dolph sinks into the chair, staring at the phone. "Shit!" He sits there, flabbergasted, for a few moments, before looking at the cake. Realizing quickly that it's not storebought, he leans over and swipes some frosting, licking it off of his finger. It tastes really good, almost too good for their usual rushed birthdays of cake mixes and canned frosting, and-

Zack's phone lights up. Dolph glances at it before choking. A text from Zack's mom flashes there, reading simply, _How did the recipe go? Did the cake come out alright?_ He immediately freezes and stares at it, eyes wide. "_Oh_ hell... This isn't a box mix... what the hell, kid?" Getting up and peeking into the fridge, he closes his eyes upon finding the Chipotle bag inside. "You went all out today while I was gone, huh?" Shutting the door and leaning against it, he bangs his head against the fridge a few times before pulling away.

Deciding to give Zack a little bit longer to decompress, he wanders the apartment, straightening up Zack's toys and his own stand up comedy books, frowning at the little life that they've managed to build since reconnecting a couple years ago. It still seems pretty fragile sometimes, especially on days like today. _Because of my stupid mistakes,_ Dolph thinks, tracing a finger along the shelf where his books are stacked up. "Such an idiot," he mumbles, glancing at the clock. It's been close to half an hour since Zack had left his phone behind, so Dolph decides it's been long enough.

He walks to the bedroom door and opens it quietly, not that surprised to find the room is silent, dark. Zack is buried under sheets and pillows in bed, not even responding when Dolph approaches. His back is to the door and his breathing is steady, and Dolph figures that he's fast asleep, because even Zack isn't that good at pretending. He kneels by the bed and listens for a few moments before plucking the sheets up and slipping in behind Zack, wrapping an arm around him. He's warm and heavy with sleep and Dolph smiles bitterly as he presses a soft kiss to Zack's neck. "I'm so damn sorry, kid. I wasn't thinking... The last thing I expected was for you to be at home, trying to make things special while I was being a complete jackass on social media..."

It's pretty obvious when Zack wakes up because his breathing hitches, and his body tenses under Dolph's fingers. He lays there, his breathing growing more and more ragged, Dolph's touch and words doing nothing to calm him. "Why?"

"Why what?" Dolph asks, though he's already dreading what the follow up question is going to be, how much it'll hurt.

"Why am I never enough?" Zack's words come out in a blustery breath and Dolph holds onto him tighter, his jaw aching as he grits his teeth against the recriminations he wants to volley at himself for hurting Zack again and again and again.

Dolph rolls him onto his back, settles on top of him, and stares into his broken green eyes. "You are," he whispers. "You are, I swear. I'm just a flirt, you know this." He shakes his head, pressing a kiss to Zack's collarbone. "I never mean anything by it and I'm _so_ sorry..." He leans back up and strokes Zack's hair. "You are more than enough for me, kid. Besides..." He nuzzles against Zack, nose to nose, and smiles down at him. "How many summer houses have I bought to live closer to someone? Huh?"

"Just the one that I know about," Zack sighs, his eyes fluttering shut in response to Dolph's closeness. "Bro, it's just... I..." He finds Dolph's hands and interlaces their fingers. "It hurts so much sometimes. I can handle my career sucking, I can handle the comments from my friends, family and fans about how much I suck at wrestling anymore, but I can't... I can't handle this. You and Summer, and... I know a few weeks ago Summer and Layla kissed me, but that was nothing... you know? This just... feels like so much more..."

"It's not," Dolph insists softly, his eyes wet with pain for Zack and everything he just said. "I feel nothing when I see Summer. We both just like to flirt, it has nothing behind it... there's no comparison to when I lay right here, in your arms, and listen to you breathe. There's no heat, there's no fire when I look at her. There's absolutely nothing for you to worry about." His eyes dim as he sees the lingering uncertainty in Zack's expression. "I know I said similiar things when I made out with Princess Leia... but I mean it this time. You're my broski, and you always will be." He cups Zack's face and kisses him deeply, pressing him down into the pillows. "Alright?"

When he looks again, Zack's smirking, the remainder of his sadness and exhaustion fading away. "Shut up and kiss me, bro."

Dolph laughs softly and obliges him. "Now come on, there's some Chipotle and this amazing homemade cake with our name on it," he says, standing up and dragging Zack with him.


	42. Home

Dolph has just finished packing for another week's worth of events when he realizes he hasn't seen much of Zack for the last few hours. Sitting back on his heels with a frown, pushing the last of his clothes in and zipping the luggage up, he glances around and listens. Brows furrowing, he pulls himself up to a standing position and looks for Zack. The apartment is dark, quiet. Not like it usually is when they're both home. He grimaces and turns the living room light on, preparing to find his shoes and go look outside, when he jumps back with a muffled curse.

A broski-shaped lump is on the couch, staring at him glumly. Dolph releases a hissed breath, throwing his arms up. "Scared the hell out of me, kid. What are you doing sitting here in the dark? Huh?" Zack doesn't respond and Dolph sighs. Week after week of not being booked, or at least only for house shows, continues to eat at Zack, and he gets it, he really does. The situation isn't ideal for Dolph either, the many hours spent on the road lonely without Zack's bad attempts at singing, his sleepy grumbling when Dolph presses his cold toes against his ankles in the middle of the night.

Giving up on his shoes, Dolph walks over to the couch and kneels down next to Zack, running his hand through his hair. This does nothing to revive him and Dolph sighs tiredly, leaning closer and pressing his face to Zack's, his nose nuzzled under the broski's jaw. "I know it sucks, I hate it too, kid. I hate having to leave you here, you deserve to be by my side, competing for championships and doing what you love." Tugging on the ends of Zack's hair, he stares into the dull green eyes that usually brighten his day. "C'mon, kid, say somethin'."

Zack sighs long, slow, painfully. "You're going to miss your flight," he says, eyes flickering towards the clock.

Dolph shakes his head. "I have a little time. I'm not leaving you like this. Come on." Tugging on his arm, he makes Zack sit up and scoots up onto the couch, wrapping an arm around him. They lean against each other for awhile, Dolph closing his eyes. "It's gonna be alright, kid. They'll book you soon, maybe next week, and then we can go to Cracker Barrel or something. Anything you want." He hesitates. "Maybe I'll even buy you a funko. Or two."

_This _works, Zack's eyebrows furrowing together as he smirks incredulously at Dolph. "You hate those things though."

"Nah, it's just fun to see that fire in your eyes when I claim I do," Dolph laughs, leaning over and kissing Zack slowly. "Alright?" Zack nods against him and he releases a breath. "Good. I'll call when I land, but," he says with a vaguely guilty inflection as he looks at the clock, "I really should go now." Standing up, he leans over and cups Zack's jaw, kissing him once more before straightening out and heading for his bag. Pausing at the door, he looks over his shoulder. "Love you, kid."

Zack kicks his heel against the couch, his lips twitching into a sincere smile. "Love you too, bro. Kick some ass for me."

Dolph nods, lifting his hand in a half-wave before closing the door reluctantly behind him to go do just that.


	43. Nickname

It's nothing major. Some random backstage promo, like they've all done dozens of times before. Normally Zack would barely notice, but he freezes over his thrown together meal of eggs and hashbrowns, frowning at the TV before he wipes his hands off and finds the remote, rewinding the segment. Yeah, there it was... Dolph calling Seth kid. It's dumb, he himself calls everyone _bro_, but it still rankles at him. He moodily stabs his fork into the eggs, scraping it against the plate obnoxiously, before turning the TV off and trying to finish his meal.

He doesn't get too far before giving up on the entire thing, pushing his plate away, and leaving the apartment after grabbing his keys and wallet. It's late, a kind of humid heat blanketing the city, but he trudges on anyway, the thrum of cars and people and everything else not enought to break through his thoughts. He's leaning against a wall, staring up at the stars overhead, when his phone buzzes in his pocket. He closes his eyes, digging his knuckle into one of his eyes before pulling the device out and looking at it. Answering it with jerky, annoyed movements, he waits a beat. "Hello?"

"Hey, kid," Dolph says, and dammit, that only serves to make Zack even angrier, his teeth gritting. "What's going on?"

"Went for a walk," he says grimly. "Finished wrestling the _kid_, huh?" Zack rolls his eyes at himself for making this a deal, when really it's minor, considering... but still. There had been an interview a few years ago where Dolph had explained the origins of the nickname, because Zack had been so young when he'd started in WWE, in his early twenties... but that doesn't explain calling _Seth_ that.

Dolph hesitates. "Well, yeah. I, uh, I lost. But you know. Zack, come on, it was nothing-..."

"What, now I'm not good enough to be called kid?" Zack snaps, smacking himself in the forehead for _continuing_ this. Despite repeatedly thinking that it's nothing, the angry comments keep spilling out of his lips, demanding an answer for something he's not sure he really wants to know. "Never mind. It's fine, Dolph." He hunches his shoulders and walks back the way he came, wanting to go hide in the apartment and pretend that everything's ok, at least until Dolph is home once more and they go in circles about this before inevitably finding a way through it, because that's what they always do somehow.

Zack's gone a couple of blocks when he realizes that he's not been listening, Dolph's chatter a low rumble against his ear before- "KID, dammit, LISTEN TO ME!" This stops him short in the middle of the sidewalk, a few people cursing him out as they shift and walk around him. "I'm sorry, I just meant to disrespect Rollins, I wasn't thinking. You're the only _kid_ that matters to me." He sighs."Ya know I'm proud of you, right? It's hard to make it in this business even when you're older, but you hit the ground running when you were so young, it's incredible to think back on. So when I call Rollins or anyone else 'kid', it... it's meant to discredit them, throw them off of their game. But you... it just... it's a reminder of where you came from, how much you've accomplished and how much more you'll do from here. You know?"

Zack breathes in deeply, kneading his forehead with his palm once more. "I'm an idiot," he mumbles. "I don't even know why that bugged me so much. I call everyone bro, but just... hearing you call someone else kid..."

"It's ok," Dolph jumps in, tries to take some of the pressure off of Zack. "I understand. Just remember that I'd never look at Rollins or anyone else like that, alright? You're the only one, I promise."

Zack smiles, finally continuing on his way back home. "I believe you." He releases a blustery breath. "See you tomorrow?"

"You know it, kid," Dolph teases him lightly. "I love you."

"Love you too," Zack sighs, unlocking the apartment door and slipping inside. "Good night."

"Night." Both hesitate over hanging up, as always, and Zack smiles, settling down on the couch and listening to Dolph breathing on the other end, the last of his uncertainties fading away.


	44. Homecoming

Hark knew. As soon as Jake Carter finished saving his sister, and the town, from those terrorists. He wouldn't be staying for long, he'd be heading back into service one way or another. Because that's what Jake Carter does. So the abrupt nature of it all doesn't surprise him, though it does leave him with a bitter taste in his mouth. Jake and he had had some issues after he'd returned, sure... mostly because the dynamics for everyone had changed so drastically since Jake had enlisted. His sisters had grown up, Amanda had taken charge of things, and Lilly was slowly coming into her own. Jake just didn't fit as easily anymore.

But still. He and Jake had grown up together, had been best friends since toddlers- the magic of being in a small town with only so many kids in the area- and every time he leaves, Hark feels empty. Like something's missing. Because, yeah, it is. So, after Amanda tells him, Hark finds himself at the bar that he'd almost arrested Jake in for getting in a drunken fight not that long ago and waves at the bartender for another shot, tapping the ridges of his sheriff's badge under his jacket disinterestedly. Things are quiet with the FBI still in the area, wrapping up loose ends with the terrorist cell- and Hark's pretty sure that's why Jake was tagged for this security gig so damn quick, because of his work taking down the militia.

He barely notices when someone sits down next to him, a warm voice requesting _"What he's having"_ and it takes Hark a moment, lulled by the warm alcohol swirling in his body, to realize that the person means him. He squares his shoulders a bit and looks over, frowning at the man next to him. Brown hair, curious green eyes, and a beard clearly well taken of. Socializing is the last thing Hark wants to do but hell, why not. "New to town?" he asks, turning his attention back to his drink.

"Driving through," the stranger says, swirling his drink around a bit before downing some of it.

Hark nods, gritting his teeth against the bitter churning in his gut. _Isn't everyone?_ he wonders, dipping a finger into the liquor and watching as the light gleams off of the amber drips as they splash off of his nail back into the glass. "It's a nice place," he mumbles, knowing that it's not enough. Not enough to keep good people in, to keep the terrorists out, to keep anyone safe.

"Seems like it," the man says simply, clearly not looking for a fight. Just _being,_ which alone rankles at Hark. Because the man by his side should be Jake, not some nameless, faceless thing finding it as easy to sit there as it will be to leave in the morning.

_But then,_ Hark thinks,_ that always_ was_ Jake, wasn't it? He always wanted to leave, while I was fine with my life here... At least... I _was...He scrubs at his eyes and goes for another drink, missing his mouth and slopping it all over his shirt, down his badge, along the holster strapped to his side. "Dammit!"

"Here, let me help with that," the man says, grabbing some napkins offered by the bartender and trying to help Hark clean himself up, his much less inebrieted hands finding the chore easier until Hark grabs him by the wrists roughly and glares at him. "It's ok, man, just trying to help," he says simply, waiting patiently. Once they're settled again, a wet mound of the napkins thrown out by the bartender, Hark's clothes reaking of booze but somewhat drier now. "So... you're a cop, huh?"

"Sheriff," Hark corrects automatically, staring distrustingly at the glass sitting with only a little liquid left in front of him now.

"Must be a stressful job," the guy says off of a sigh, smacking his lips around his second, and seemingly last, glass. "Come on, I already called a taxi, we can drop you wherever you need to go on my way to-"

Hark doesn't let him finish, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him in, kissing him roughly. Encouraged by the drink, by the strangely comforting lilt of the other man's voice, how his hands had felt earlier while cleaning Hark up as best as he could. They gravitate together and Hark realizes this is probably why the guy sat here to begin with- a natural magnetism between them. His eyes flutter while the guy- _not _Jake, definitely _not, _but all the better for it, because maybe... maybe Hark can make this guy stay, can convince him to take him with when he leaves, something... anything..._\- _moves closer, his hands spanning across Hark's arms, clearly the only thing keeping him upright at this point.

"Name's Isaac," he offers after a moment, huffing out a laugh when Hark freezes in mid-kiss, confused.

"Hark," he says once his brain catches up. "Well, 's my last name... Harkin, but I'm known as Hark by most people."

Isaac's grin is bright, makes the entire room dim around them, and Hark finds himself captivated by those perfect teeth and how the slight goofiness of his expression doesn't take away from Isaac's good looks. "Hark, huh? Well, I like it," he murmurs. "Now about that taxi..."

Hark nods, swallowing. "Only one thing though." Isaac looks at him curiously and he smirks drunkenly. "If it can take me to your hotel as well."

Isaac's eyes brighten as he nods, hope forming, spreading through both of them as Isaac helps Hark find his jacket and make his way outside to the waiting vehicle-

The bar with the two men drifts away when Dolph shifts from where he's laying against Zack's chest, distracting him from the story he was telling, blue eyes meeting green as Zack huffs at him for the interruption. "So, kid, Hark, handsome devil that he is, meets some random stranger with a beard and it's love at first sight?" he teases, tugging at the dark hairs along Zack's jaw with a smirk. "Best to my recollection, that actually happened with a _very_ babyfaced man..." He taps his fingers against Zack's jaw, grinning when Zack swats at him.

"You just made this sound really creepy, bro," Zack huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, you were the one who was wondering about poor ol' Hark left all alone while Jake left on his adventures in Marine 4. I try to convince you he'd be alright and this is the thanks I get for it?"

"Hey, no, it was great, Hark deserved a happy ending," Dolph says with a laugh. "I just wanted a bit of a fact check..." Still holding onto Zack's face, he pulls him closer and kisses him slowly, deeply, before finally pulling away, pressing his forehead to Zack's, still needing some answers to finish the story to his own satisfaction. "So... did Issac stay? Or did Hark say screw it, give up on the town and go on some crazy adventure with him?"

Zack licks his lips, eyes locked on Dolph's smug expression, and releases a shaky breath. "I... I'd guess Isaac might have left, for a little while, but he came back. They made it work. You know, with time."

Dolph hums. "Sounds fair," he mumbles, fingers trailing, running through Zack's hair. "I should make you tell me more stories, you're not half bad at it."

There's a soft pause between the two of them before Zack mumbles, "He really did look a lot like you, bro..."

"I'm _easily _the more handsome and charismatic of the two of us," Dolph huffs, Zack's answering laugh swallowed by another kiss, and the two of them forget about Hark and Isaac, the entire Marine franchise as they turn their focus to this moment in time, to their _own_ story.


	45. Ice Bucket Challenge

Zack winces as he stands in his bathroom, watching Dolph fill up the bucket with ice. "Bro," he grumbles, picking at the shirt he'd selected- an old Staypuft Marshmellow Man shirt that is already frayed and faded. "You'd better film all of this, I'm not going to do a second take."

Dolph grins up at him. "Now why would I screw this up like that?" Zack glowers at him and Dolph chuckles, finally finishing filling up the bucket and walking over to him, cupping his face. "I promise, I won't do anything to sabotage this for you. You ready?"

Zack sighs, then nods. "Fine. Let's do this." As Dolph moves into position and aims his phone at Zack, filming it all once he's sure Zack's in the shot fine, Zack introduces himself, explains what the video is for, and who he's challenging. Bracing himself, he leans down and picks up the bucket. "Here we go." Tipping it over his head, he grunts and closes his eyes, teeth starting to chatter. "Sunglasses stayed on," he smirks, motioning to them before Dolph stops the video and puts the phone down, grabbing a towel.

"You're shivering," he notes, swatting away Zack's trembling fingers and pulling his shirt off for him. "Come on, let's get you dried off." Toweling through his hair, down his chest, Dolph chuckles softly. "Well, the fangirls'll be happy, I guess."

Zack grumbles and ducks his head as Dolph continues to run the towel through his hair. "All for charity, huh, bro?" he sighs, leaning into Dolph's touch.

"Yeah," Dolph whispers, grabbing his soaked shirt and throwing it onto the laundry pile. "C'mon, kid." Taking his hand and leading him into the bedroom, he finds him a warmer shirt and pulls it over his head once he's finished drying his chest off.

"Where's your phone at?" Zack wonders once his shivers abate. "I gotta upload that video to my youtube page..."

Dolph smirks, continuing to run his fingers through Zack's still damp hair, ignoring his question as he lazily presses a kiss to Zack's neck.

"Bro, come on. Where's your phone?" he repeats, eyes closing against the gentle pressure of Dolph's lips warming his chilled skin.

"In the bathroom," Dolph finally says, his voice rumbling between Zack's shoulderblades. "I think I'm gonna keep that video to myself for a little bit."

"Bro!" he protests, trying to turn to look at Dolph and failing as Ziggler holds him in place, more sloppy kisses his reward. "Come on! I didn't freeze myself just for you to... to..." His voice fades as Dolph grips his jaw and tilts his head so that he can instead kiss him on the lips, Zack's breath catching in his throat as they sit there, lost in this moment. Finally he pulls away with a grunt and rests his forehead against Dolph's. "Fine, maybe... for a few days..."

"Or a week," Dolph muses, trailing his fingers down Zack's throat.

"Fine, a week," he sighs, leaning into the soft touch. "But then I'm going to put it on Youtube..."

"It better not give fangirls any ideas," Dolph grouses, his fingers trailing along the collar of Zack's shirt.

"Like what? Running into the ring and pouring ice cold water on me during a match?" Zack laughs, before pausing, thinking through what he'd just said. "Ok, yeah, that does sound pretty awful."

"See? I'm just looking out for you," Dolph says with a smirk, leaning in as Zack rolls his eyes and kisses him, mostly to shut him up for a minute.

"Just for a week, then," he mumbles against Dolph's lips, grinning when his response is a slow nod. His chuckle fades into a content sigh when Dolph pulls him into his warmth, nuzzling against him as the last of the chill finally leaves him.


	46. Victory

Dolph's won the Intercontinental championship for the second time. He chuckles, staring down at the white belt, fingers hooked around the sunglasses, wishing that Zack was here to celebrate this moment with him. Unfortunately, he'd not been booked so he had stayed home. Again. Spent the weekend at a water park in New Jersey, trying to keep himself occupied while Summerslam happened without him.

Dolph sighs, remembering the look on Zack's face as he'd given him the sunglasses before Dolph's flight. _"For good luck, bro,"_ Zack's voice repeats in his memories a few times. He puts the sunglasses back on, running his hands over the title belt. "It was definitely that, kid," he muses, still staring down at his belt when his phone vibrates next to him.

He answers without looking, already knowing who it'd be facetiming him at this hour. Even so, once he actually locks eyes with Zack, his whole face lights up. "Hey kid. How was the water park?"

"Good," Zack shrugs, looking perfectly tanned in the faint light coming from a lamp to his side. "Lonely, though." He grins at the screen and Dolph nods, knowing what he means. "So, how's it feel to be champ again?"

"Great," he says with a smirk. "Lonely though." Zack's chuckle warms Dolph a bit and he leans forward. "You laughing at me missing you, kid?"

"No, not- not that," he says, sobering up for a moment. "I just realized what you were wearing, bro."

It's then that Dolph realizes he means the sunglasses, reaching up to touch their frames. "I think they brought me luck, kid," he says honestly. "Wish you were here, but these gave me the motivation to keep going, you know?"

Zack chuckles and runs his fingers through his hair, resting his face on his arm and staring at the screen. "Good, that was the point, bro."

"I'll be home soon," Dolph says. "After Raw. Then we can celebrate this properly." He tilts the belt so Zack can see his name on the plate.

Zack's eyes gleam. "Good, bro. I'll be waiting. Take good care of my sunglasses."

"I will." Resting his finger against the screen, Dolph smiles faintly. "G'night, kid."

"Good night, bro."

The screen goes dark a couple moments later and Dolph drops back against the mattress, yawning softly as he reaches up and takes Zack's glasses off, setting them carefully on the bedside table. Smilng to himself, he clicks the lamp off and rolls over, staring at the ZR logo on the side of the frames just visible in the light coming from the clock before he dozes off.


	47. 2 Timer

It had started off innocently enough. When Dolph had been going for the Money in the Bank again, Zack had tweeted about hoping Dolph would become a two-timer, meaning that he should get to hold the briefcase twice. But Seth Rollins walked off with the accolade instead, and from there, it became something of a joke between the two of them. Especially when Dolph won the Intercontinental title for the second time.

So when Zack sees Dolph tweeting that his cheat days have nothing to do with food, then calling Pizza Hut a tease, he replies with simply "2 timer", grimacing at the first line. It's not funny, especially with their history, the mistakes that both of them had made. Shaking his head, he settles back against the couch, trying to relax. He sighs and closes his eyes, listening to the traffic outside of his apartment window, half-asleep when Dolph returns, his key in the lock making Zack's lips twitch upwards.

He's not quiet, coming in, but Zack's still dozing when he enters the living room, and Dolph stops short, a smile crossing his own face. "Hey, kid," he whispers, settling something in front of Zack before dropping onto the couch next to him. Zack makes a noise deep in his throat before forcing his eyes open, grimacing. "Brought some food," he says cheerfully.

He blinks sleep out of his eyes, staring at the box before him. "Pizza Hut," he says with a faint chuckle, leaning forward uncoordinatedly to look. "Mm, cheese pizza." He spots a second box and stares at it until Dolph rests his jaw against Zack's shoulder, kissing his neck. "Chocolate chip cookie, bro?"

"Yep, that's the one." He nuzzles closer, before mumbling, "You enjoy teasing me about being a 2 timer, don't you?"

"Not really," Zack responds, already lifting a huge slice of cheese pizza up, eyes wide as the cheese oozes off. "Damn..."

Before he can take a bite, though, Dolph leans forward and pushes his hand down, putting the slice back in the box haphazardly. Zack protests but is quickly quieted when Dolph cups his face and searches his eyes. "My cheat days don't have to do with food," he says softly. "But they don't have to do with you either." Zack stares back at him, dread filling his expression. Dolph sighs. "I'm thinking about taking more stand up dates. That's all."

"You're leaving WWE?" Zack asks after a moment, breath hissing through his teeth when Dolph leans in and kisses him gently. "Bro..."

"Nope, I'm not leaving WWE. Not right away, anyway," he says. "Just going to do double duty for awhile, see what the interest is in me outside of the ring. You know?"

Zack nods slowly, leaning against Dolph for a moment. "That... yeah. Sounds good, bro. I'm sure you'll be great. Am I welcome to come see some of your dates?"

Dolph chuckles. "Oh, please, kid. You'll be VIP," he promises, kissing Zack once more before pushing him back towards the pizza. "Let's eat, I'm hungry."

"Me too," Zack agrees with a faint smile, realizing that he actually is now that he knows what's been going on with Dolph lately. "Thanks for telling me, bro."

Dolph nods, fingers lost in cheese and grease. "I wanted to tell you sooner but I wasn't sure how it was all going to play out. Still don't, really."

Zack takes a huge bite of the slice he'd been denied earlier before swallowing with barely chewing it, turning to look at Dolph. "You'll be great, bro. Especially if Ask the Heel on ZTLIS was any indication."

Dolph grins at him. "Thanks, kid." He presses a soft kiss to the side of Zack's lips, tasting some of the pizza sauce staining his mouth. "Such a sloppy eater."

"Told you I was hungry," Zack pouts, eyes fluttering as Dolph moves to the other side and repeats the action slowly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not complaining." Dolph smirks, eyes gleaming as Zack pushes at him. Gripping his hands, he pulls him closer and kisses him properly this time. "I love you, kid."

Zack rolls his eyes before melting into a chuckle. "Love you too, bro."


	48. Second Home

The news, at first, comes from some whispers backstage, giggles and mocking glances aimed at him, their relationship status sometimes leaving him open to the belittlement in the place of his boyfriend. Dolph ignores or rolls his eyes at them, not biting until the event ends and he returns to the hotel to find that it's true: Zack's being flown back to New York after the weekend house shows come to an end. He leans against the door and watches Zack pack, lips twisting in discomfort.

Zack's movements are twitchy, beyond unhappy, and it pulls at something deep in Dolph to watch him like this. He's just pulled away, stepped forward to rest a hand on Zack's back, try to comfort him somehow, when Zack lets out a strangled yell and throws a bottle of shampoo at the wall with enough force to dent the bottle, crack the plaster just a little. Dolph cringes and steps forward, grabbing Zack around the waist before he could find something else to throw or damage, hugging him tightly. "Shhh, kid, shhhh," he murmurs into Zack's hair, pressing a faint kiss to the back of his neck.

Zack is shuddering with pent up emotions and Dolph grows even more worried when all fight leaves him and he slumps back in Dolph's grip, burying his face in his hands. "I don't get it," he mumbles. "I try and I try and I try and... they can't even keep me around for the tapings? It's just a couple of days, bro, I don't know what I did that was so bad..."

Dolph gets his hands under Zack's arms and pulls him back towards the bed, cradling him close as he sits down on the mattress, kissing Zack's cheek and jaw when he presses his face into Dolph's neck. "You didn't do anything," he whispers to him. "The company's just blind. Things'll work out, I promise. Just be patient." The words are dumb. Verbal BS that the higher ups liked to spit to talent to make them come back again and again in the hopes that maybe this week would be it, would make it all right once more.

Zack's breath hitches and Dolph wonders if he'd noticed but then he presses closer to Dolph, his fingers digging into Dolph's shirt, and it doesn't matter anymore, Dolph gently rocking him back and forth, gaze flickering over to the abandoned bottle of shampoo, leaking lazily upon the carpet. Their deposit is easily gone, but it doesn't matter either right now. Finally Zack calms, pulls away and looks at him with miserable, red-rimmed eyes. "Sorry for losing it like this, bro," he mumbles.

Dolph shakes his head, cupping Zack's face and wiping some of the tears off of his cheeks. "Don't ever apologize to me, kid." He leans closer and lightly peppers kisses along his lips before pulling away. "Now, let's pack you up properly, and after I fly back in on Tuesday, we'll go to the summer house and spend a few days... no phones, no anything, just us. How's that sound?"

Zack grins, a watery attempt at his usual cheerfulness, nodding. "Sure, bro. Sounds pretty damn great."

Dolph presses a kiss to the top of Zack's head before getting up and walking over to the abused shampoo, picking it up and wrapping some wrist tape around the leaking hole in the side of the plastic before handing it back to Zack. "There ya go, kid."

"Thanks, bro," he breathes out in surprise. Standing up to finish packing, he finds himself blocked by Dolph, who quickly hugs him again. He sinks into Dolph's warmth and releases a sigh, relaxing a little. "What would I do without you?"

"You'll never have to find out," Dolph smiles into Zack's shoulder, kneading his back and shoulderblades.

Zack's answering smile against his throat, his fingers toying with the ends of Dolph's hair, makes Dolph feel more secure in the situation as well.


	49. Motley

For Labor Day weekend, the wrestlers had been given a couple of days off, not required back on the road until Raw. Taking advantage of this, Dolph had bought them tickets to Motley Crue a few months back, grinning as Zack's eyes light up when he slits the envelope open and waves them at his boyfriend. "So... ya still wanna go?"

"Hell yeah, bro!" Zack exclaims, reaching out for his ticket.

Dolph smirks and holds it away from him, shaking his head. "You won't lose this, right? They cost a pretty penny, kid."

"How irresponsible do I look, bro?!" he demands, before hesitating. "Don't answer that." Reaching out once more for the tickets, he pouts. "Please, bro... I'll take good care of it, I promise."

"Well," Dolph drawls. "About that..." His smirk becomes more taunting as Zack grows uncomfortable. "So I was thinking, since we're not going to get much alone time since, like, five of us are going to the Jones Beach concert..."

**"**Yeah?" Zack wonders, his brows furrowing as Dolph reaches into his pocket and pulls out another pair of tickets, counting them. "Bro, what did you do?"

Dolph's grin is bright and quick, Zack thrown off-balanced by it, until he explains, "Well, I was thinking we could road trip from Jones Beach to New Jersey, and catch that concert too. I know the setlist will probably be the same, and everything, but hell, we don't get a weekend off that often, so why not, right?" He looks up and taps the tickets against his lips. "What do you think, kid?"

Zack stares at the tickets before looking up at him. "I think it sounds great, bro," he mumbles, leaning forward and kissing him warmly. Dolph grins against his lips before pulling away and handing him his two tickets, Zack reading it over in some awe. "This is gonna be the best weekend, bro."

"I think so too," Dolph sighs, leaning against Zack's shoulder and skimming over his tickets too.

Zack chuckles, pushing back against him and sighing. "Still four days away... How ever will we pass the time?"

Dolph's laugh is sharp and suggestive in a way that only he could manage, wrapping his fingers around Zack's chin and staring into his eyes. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

-x

Jones Beach is about as great as they'd expected, having a great time with their friends sightseeing before the concert, then enjoying the music and Tommy Lee's crazy drum solo. Afterwards, they go to the hotel for some sleep and Zack muses over the separate rooms and separate cars they have, burying his face in the pillow as Dolph comes out of the shower and settles in next to him, kissing his shoulder. "Sleepy, kid?"

"Kinda," he sighs, but tilts his head to face Dolph, smiling. "So I guess we're heading to Jersey in the morning, huh? Hope the others don't feel left out."

"Eh. They'll understand," Dolph shrugs it off. "None of them live the ridiculous schedule we do. If we want time to ourselves, they'll get it. Or not, it doesn't really matter, does it?" He winks at Zack and sneaks in another kiss before rolling onto his back, reaching over to shut the lamp off. Zack's arm wraps around his waist in the darkness and he smiles. "Good night, kid."

They're up and out early, opting to send their friends texts when they're on the road. A bit abrupt, sure, but those closest to them understand the lifestyle, how easy it is to pick up and go at the blink of an eye. "Besides," Zack says through a yawn, glancing thankfully at Dolph when he passes him a coffee, "we want to get to Jersey with plenty of time... traffic's probably going to be about as bad as it was here."

"My thoughts exactly," he says, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. Although it is slow going at times, they make pretty decent time, both of them knowing little tricks to getting around New Jersey well enough.

They end up parking a few blocks away from where the concert's being held and walking side by side through the streets, stopping here and there to take pictures and autographs with fans. Zack makes faces at the backs of the ones that focus on Dolph and ignore him, but there are a fair amount that only come up to talk to him, and he grins at Dolph each time. Dolph rolls his eyes but allows him these moments, considering how things have been going for him lately.

By the time they make it to the concert, the crowd is already substantial, everyone feeling and looking just a little claustrophic. To make sure they don't lose each other, Dolph and Zack grip each other's hands and walk as close together as they can until they're in line to get their tickets scanned. It takes forever but finally they're inside, preparing for another night of loud music, crazy sights, and insane fans enjoying the music as much, if not more, as they are.

Halfway through _Girls, Girls, Girls,_ Dolph glances over and grins at the look on Zack's face as he sings along, shaking his head fondly and pulling Zack closer, resting his chin on his shoulder and lightly kissing his neck. Zack smirks but doesn't lose his place in the lyrics, resting his hand on top of Dolph's. The two of them remain like that for the rest of the concert.

Once the last song ends, the main lights coming back on, they disentangle themselves, feeling a little high from the music and the general adrenaline rush from the last couple of nights. They stumble through the crowd and to the exits, meandering through the parking lot, in no great hurry to leave. Glancing at each other, they laugh. "Do you remember where the car's at, bro?"

"I think so. Do you?"

"Maybe?" he offers, eyes lighting up when Dolph laughs. "This might be awful, bro."

"Might be walking back to the summer house," he chuckles into his fist, finding Zack's hand in the darkness and drawing him closer. "Come on, let's try. I think it's this way."

"Oh boy," Zack murmurs into his ear, allowing himself to be led up one block and the next. Before long, the sights become familiar and Zack relaxes, nodding. "I think we're heading in the right direction, bro."

"Yep, I think I see the parking garage," Dolph says with a small laugh, squeezing Zack's hand. "Come on. I won't make you sleep in a doorway or something."

"Oh good," Zack says drily, following him into the garage and spotting the car almost immediately. "There we go."

"Told you I'd find it," Dolph says cheerfully, spinning his keychain around on his finger. "What?" he asks, noticing the look on Zack's face.

"Oh nothin'," Zack says with a smirk, raising his eyebrows at him. "C'mon, bro, I'm tired."

Dolph presses the button on the chain, listening as the car beeps and unlocks itself, Zack immediately opening the door and sinking inside with a soft, relieved sigh. "We're gonna be feeling this tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty sure," Zack sighs, turning to look at him. "But... we don't have anything planned tomorrow so we can laze around the summer house... stay in bed, have a cheat day... all of that good stuff before we have to go to Raw." He rubs his thumb over Dolph's knuckles, grinning when he releases a breath. "Sound like a plan?"

"Hell yeah, kid," Dolph agrees, starting the car up and pulling out of the parking garage, anxious to get where they're going so they can make the most of their last day off.


	50. Massage

Each step is agony. For a match that had only been three minutes, Zack thinks he shouldn't hurt this much, but it was and he does. There's a burning kind of pressure in his shoulder blades the trainer had told him will dissipate with some rest and ice, to call in the morning if he still feels off. He groans and slides his keycard into the slot, relieved when it flashes green on the first try. He stumbles inside, eyes locked on the nearest bed, when a hand comes out of nowhere and rests between his shoulderblades, turning him towards the bathroom. The touch, somehow, distracts him from the pain and he leans into it.

He groans and looks up at Dolph Ziggler, shaking his head. "Bro, I really just want some sleep," he forces out, trying to turn back around.

Dolph, however, holds on. "No, kid, wait," he says softly, guiding Zack into the bathroom and standing behind him as Zack sighs, breathing in the warm, moist air. "A nice, hot bath, all ready for you." Lightly pushing him towards it, Dolph helps him out of his clothes and sits next to the bath as Zack groans and sinks further into the deliciously hot water. "I have to drive to go tape Main Event soon. You can stay here or come with, it's up to you." Dolph is lazily pouring water onto Zack's shoulders and arms, trying to relieve the pain from Rusev's accolade, when Zack turns slowly and releases a breath.

Dolph grins and reaches forward, taking the hint as he massages circles into Zack's skin, melting some of the tension from his muscles. "Better, kid?" Zack is sleepy and slack, only managing a nod, so Dolph gives him a few more minutes in the water before draining it and reaching out to help the protesting broski out of the tub, running a towel over his glistening skin, his hair, everything. "So you're staying?" he asks, guiding him back into the main room. Dolph digs around in their bags before he finds the pink DZ shirt he'd given Zack months ago, pulling it over Zack's head and smoothing it down so he'll be more comfortable.

"No," Zack mumbles, running his hand over the well-worn material. "I'll come with." He lifts his head and offers Dolph a half smile. "Long as i can sleep in the back."

"Sure, kid," Dolph agrees with a relieved smile, running his hands through Zack's hair one last time. "Here." He finds him some sweatpants and his shoes, gives the room one last look to make sure they're both packed up before picking Zack's bag up. "Let's go, then." Zack nods and trudges after him, too sleepy to feel much of anything until he's wrapped up comfortably in the back seat, eyes already fluttering before Dolph puts the keys in the ignition.

It's comfortable and quiet, even when Dolph turns Motley Crue on low and Zack hums under his breath before falling asleep.


	51. Breakfast

For all of his loud, easily excited-ness, Zack is weirdly considerate when Dolph's asleep. He can get out of bed and pad into the kitchen so quietly that Dolph doesn't wake up, which really is unfortunate. Every morning, it leaves Dolph feeling around the bed with his eyes squinted shut, trying to find Zack in the sheets, and failing. He grunts and sits up unhappily on the third morning in a row of this happening, hearing the soft sounds of Zack preparing breakfast.

He sighs and rolls out of bed, getting his feet on the floor and padding out to the kitchen to find him. Zack's grin is visible even when Dolph's eyes are half-shut and he hums, leaning into the soft kiss Zack presses to the side of his mouth. "Mornin', bro."

"Morning." He sits down with a sigh and looks up as Zack rests a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him with a smile, sitting down with a plate of his own. Dolph twists his fork between his fingers but barely pays attention to the food, taking advantage of the moment to watch Zack.

Who does notice the scrutiny after a minute, putting his fork down and raising his eyebrows at Dolph. "Bro? Aren't you hungry?" he wonders, licking some butter off of the toast from his fingers.

Dolph shakes his head, snapping himself out of this fugue. "Yeah, just... I got it." He starts to eat, though it's hard to keep his eyes off of Zack. It's common to see him wandering around his own apartment like this, fresh out of bed and shirtless while eating breakfast, but there's something about seeing it in Dolph's own place that leaves the Showoff a little flummoxed, lost in just how _right_ it all feels.

HIs lips twitch upwards as Zack catches him looking once more, his brows furrowing. "Bro..."

"You look really comfortable," he offers, blinking when he realizes how weird that sounds. "Like... you're at home here, you know?" His voice fails him for a minute and he swallows. "It's nice, is all." He starts to shovel more eggs into his mouth, trying not to say anything else and make even further of an idiot of himself. He's aware he's flushed, and Zack staring at him, perplexed, isn't helping much.

"Of course I'm at home here," Zack says, clearly trying to ease the awkwardness between them. "It _is_ home, right?"

Dolph looks up, eyes wide and dark blue, the two of them staring at each other until Zack's lips twitch upwards and he nods slowly. "Of course it's home." He feels dumb for not realizing it sooner, that Zack spends more time here than at his own apartment most weeks, only going there when Dolph heads back to his place in Arizona... which is happening more and more rarely too. "For us both," he continues on, reaching across the table and catching Zack's hand, winding their fingers together.

A place for Zack to wake up and go to make breakfast for them both while shirtless, a place for Dolph to bring something for supper after flying back from Raw. _Theirs._

He grins.


	52. Tease

"Oh, come on, kid!" Dolph exclaims, following Zack's speedy walk through the arena. "It was just a joke, I didn't mean anything by it!"

Earlier in the evening, Dolph had belittled Miz for spray tanning, for shaving, for general manscaping type things that he does to keep his _movie star good looks._ He had enjoyed it, played it off and got a few good laughs for it... just to come backstage to find Zack staring coolly at him before turning and walking off. Only around then had he really realized, his heart sinking.

Most of the things that Zack himself does day by day, sometimes with Dolph's help. He closes his eyes and slaps his palm against his face, absorbing the deserved sting for a moment before walking after Zack. "Kid," he insists, finally grabbing his significant other's arm when the hallways become a little congested and allow him to catch up. "I'm sorry, ok? It's just... it's _Miz_, it's different with him. He's cocky and annoying with his looks, it's an easy shot to take. I didn't mean anything about _your..._ rituals. Come on..." He tugs on Zack's hand, shaking his head. "You know that, right?"

Zack's jaw works for a moment before he takes a step away from Dolph. "If you didn't want to help me with my spray tanning or whatever else, you just had to say so," he mumbles, troubled gaze dropping away. "Didn't have to go so public with your thoughts on the whole thing like that."

Dolph shakes his head. "C'mon, kid. It's not like that. I _like_ helping you with that stuff. The view's not bad, right?" He winks when Zack looks up and smirks, dropping an arm around his neck and bringing him closer. "You're not really mad about that, are ya?"

"No," Zack mumbles, pressing his forehead to Dolph's. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just touchy lately. Things haven't been going right for a really long time, and I just... don't want to know if you really think like that about me."

"Well, I don't," Dolph says, careful and patient as he waits for Zack to look up. "Come on, kid. You help me with my own stuff, and it's a lot more than just some tanning and nairing."

Zack purses his lips and reaches out for Dolph's hair, examining his roots. "True. I think you could use a touch up, too, bro," he says with a small smile when Dolph huffs at him.

"I'm sure," he sighs, rolling his eyes. "So are we ok?"

"Yeah," Zack breathes out, leaning in to kiss him. "We're ok."

"Good," Dolph sighs, tension draining out of him. "C'mon, let's get out of here. If I hear Miz's voice again tonight, I might lose it." He finds Zack's hand and drags him back to the locker room to collect their things so they can bail.


	53. Flattery

Zack has a match on Main Event so Dolph lurks around, exploring the catering for the night, watching the various backstage things happening, and breathing a sigh of relief once Zack's match actually starts because Main Event and Superstars are both kind of boring shows to be at, since the roster is limited for these shows and backstage is a lot more quiet due to it. He'd much rather go somewhere, get something to eat, and then head back to the hotel for some sleep before Smackdown.

Zack's opponent is Cesaro and Dolph watches with a wince as the match concludes fairly quickly, Cesaro getting interviewed afterwards. Renee Young shows a lack of surprise that Cesaro had beat Zack, which rubs Dolph the wrong way... until Cesaro starts lecturing Renee about Zack and what he has to offer, how he was US champion in the past. Dolph frowns at the monitor before Zack entering the room catches his attention and he joins him. "Hey, kid, are you alright?"

"Not really," he mumbles, more than a little dizzy after getting caught in Cesaro's swing. He releases a breath when Dolph helps him over to the bench, staring down at him. "Gonna be fine," he says after a moment. "Just sore. That Cloverleaf is no joke." Dolph nods, rubbing circles against his neck, wondering if Zack had heard Cesaro's post-match interview. His question is answered a moment later when Zack presses his face against Dolph's side, sighing softly. "I thought everyone had forgotten I was once US champ," he mumbles.

"I haven't," Dolph murmurs back, feeling guilty for his jealousy, for his doubts. "That belt looked good on you." Zack hums vaguely, finally feeling solid enough to pull back, grab for some ordinary clothes. "I don't agree with Cesaro on much, but he spoke the truth tonight. No one should underestimate you."

Zack's face turns an interesting shade of pink and he offers a soft smile towards Dolph as he pulls on his shirt and prepares to leave the arena. "Thanks, bro. Now, come on, let's go get something to eat and then go back to the hotel. I know you've been looking forward to a quiet night before we have to hit the road again."

Dolph's eyes soften as the last of his doubts after listening to Cesaro leaves him. Zack doesn't care about what Cesaro said, his mind only on relaxing and spending the night with Dolph "Alright, kid," he says softly, pulling Zack up and offering him a quick kiss. "Let's do that."


	54. Stunt Double

Dolph's laugh is more sincere than Zack's heard it in awhile. He's talking to some tech backstage before his match, preparing to go further his feud with Miz, when he says something and Zack's brows furrow thoughtfully. "Yeah, I've been looking for a stunt double, you know. Why should Miz have all of the fun?"

Zack tilts his head, considering who could possibly do a serviceable job pretending to be Dolph, like Mizdow does for Mike. Biting his lip, he slips back into the locker room and searches through his bag, finding one of Dolph's most recent shirts under some of his gear. Freeing it, he holds it up to his chest, staring at himself in the full-body mirror. Finding it sufficent, he moves to change out of his clothes and put it on, make sure it looks as good _on_ him, when he hears Dolph's music on the nearest monitor.

Not expecting Dolph's match to start _this_ soon, he looks up in confusion, wondering if Dolph had decided to hold off on the stuntdouble idea until he had time to actually talk to Zack about it... when R-Truth comes out, dressed similarly to Dolph. It's ridiculous and Zack isn't sure who's more annoyed about it, himself or Miz, who motions angrily towards Sandow as they approach the ring, Dolph looking smug and R-Truth oblivious to it all as he plays along with Dolph's plan.

All Zack can do is watch as the match progresses, his anger growing while he looks at the shirt bunched up in his hands. It seems to last a lifetime but end quickly all the same, Zack still sitting there until Dolph and Truth return, laughing and pleased at their victory against Miz and Mizdow. Dolph is so distracted by everything that he barely notices the look on Zack's face, turning just in time to see Zack stuff something into his bag, Dolph barely able to see much more than a flash of pink.

He frowns and walks over to Zack, resting a hand on Zack's back and rubbing lightly between his shoulder blades. " Hey, kid, are you ok?"

"Never been better," he snaps, trying to brush past Dolph but failing when his arm is gripped, gently but with enough force to stop him. He's just turned with a frown when he finds Dolph digging around in his bag, which had somehow been unzipped. "Bro, what the hell?!" he snaps, trying to pull away and failing.

Dolph stares, perplexed, at his own merch shirt before looking up at Zack. "What the-?" Cool blue eyes trailing past Zack to rest on Truth, who is currently wearing the exact shirt in Dolph's hand, realization crosses his face and he grimaces. "Kid..."

Face flushing with anger and humiliation, Zack reaches out and pulls the shirt from Dolph's grip, stuffing it back into his bag. "Leave my stuff alone." He's trying to leave once more when Dolph blocks his path, eyes him with a faint smile. "Don't you dare laugh."

"You're mad I made him my stunt double," Dolph says, struggling _not_ to laugh as Zack glares at him. "Oh, kid."

Zack tries again to free himself but Dolph is just as stubborn so they fall into a stalemate of staring at each other. "I would be a better stunt double," Zack huffs. "Who else knows you as well as I do?"

There's a tinge of uncertainty in his voice that brings Dolph up short, his lips twisting as he weighs the situation. "I wasn't going for a _good_ stunt double," he explains, glancing over at Truth. Finding that the man is paying them little to no attention, packing while dancing wildly to whatever music is playing in his earbuds, he resumes trying to explain. "I'm out to piss Miz off, I don't really need a _believable_ stunt double. The point is that there's no comparison between me and Truth. You probably _would_ be an amazing stunt double, which ruins the point. Ok?"

Zack purses his lips. "So if you'd needed a serious stunt double..."

"You would've been my first choice, duh," Dolph says, patting the side of Zack's face. "Alright?"

Zack's lips twitch. "Alright." He leans in and presses his forehead against Dolph's. "You'd better mean that."

"I do," Dolph mumbles, aware that he'll probably, hopefully, never need _another_ stunt double after Truth. Shaking the thought away, he leans in and kisses Zack.


	55. Circles

Zack frowns, glancing around yet another locker room. "Dammit, how many rooms are in this arena?" he mumbles to himself, still not seeing the muddy blond hair he's looking for in the sea of superstars. "C'mon, bro, where are you hiding at?" He searches for only a few minutes longer before coming upon Dolph's bag abandoned in the main locker room. He nudges it with his toe a time or two before sighing, leaning over to pick it up. Snags Heath, who is wandering around, and convinces him to drive him back to the hotel.

After ten minutes spent listening to Heath sing to both songs that came on the radio, Zack is relieved to see the hotel, quickly getting out of the car. Leaning back in, he grins at Heath. "Thanks, bro, I owe you one."

"Damn straight, man," Heath drawls. "See ya 'round."

As Zack heads inside, he hesitates at the door and watches as Heath drives back in the direction of the arena to watch the rest of Night of Champions with Wade. Releasing a breath, he squares his shoulders and makes his way inside, listening to the door shut solidly behind him. Adjusting his grip on his and Dolph's bags, he makes his way towards the bar, suspecting he knows where Dolph had opted to drown his sorrows. Dropping the bags on either side of the nearest stool, he slips up onto it and glances over at the brown drink in Dolph's hand, motioning to the bartender. "You have Budlight Limes?"

The bartender nods, reaching over and grabbing the bottle before sliding it towards Zack. He sips from it before nudging Dolph, smirking faintly as their eyes lock. "Hey, kid."

"Hey, bro." Zack reaches over and rubs his neck. "You ok?"

"No," Dolph says decidedly, taking another long drink from his glass.

Zack nods, draining a good half of his budlight before sliding off of his stool. Pressing a hand to Dolph's shoulder, he leans in. "I'll be right back." He catches the bartender's eye and shakes his head subtly before slipping into the main lobby, dialing. Thankfully it's early enough that Pizza Hut is still delivering, so he places an order for a meat lover's pizza with breadsticks and extra marinara sauce before returning to the bar.

Dolph is looking blurrily down at the liquid in his glass, swirling it around blankly. "Hey, gimme another-" he's just ordered, when Zack shakes his head, sitting down next to Dolph once more and putting his hand over the glass, lowering it to the bar. "Kid, what-?"

He hums and lays a $20 on the bar, checking with the bartender. When he nods that that's enough, Zack removes his hand from the glass. "Finish up, bro, then we're gonna go up to the room and relax for awhile."

Dolph groans and stares at him incredulously before drinking the rest down sluggishly. "Fine, Mom," he huffs. As soon as he puts it down, Zack gets up and grabs the bags, helping Dolph to get to his feet and leading him to the elevators. They're silent on the way up and as Zack eases him onto the bed. Dolph doesn't seem too drunk, but he's clearly sore from the match, and depressed over the loss, and the alcohol clearly hadn't helped.

"You want a shower?" Dolph shakes his head, closing his eyes and leaning into Zack's touch as he brushes his fingers through Dolph's hair once more before checking the clock. Finding that there's still plenty of time before the pizza comes, he leaves his wallet next to Dolph just in case and heads for the bathroom, taking a nice, long shower. After washing out his hair, and soaking under the pelting water for a few more minutes, he shuts the water off and wraps up in a towel, breathing over the fogged up window.

He hears a knock at the door a minute later and peeps the bathroom door open, watching as Dolph walks unsteadily towards it and answers, Zack's wallet absently held in his hand. He chuckles to himself, relieved when Dolph rolls with it, pays the guy and takes the boxes before heading back inside. "Zack?"

"Yeah?" he asks, pushing the door open.

"You ordered pizza?"

"Yeah, bro. You hungry?"

"I guess," Dolph sighs, trudging back over to the bed and settling down with the boxes resting in front of him. Zack bites his tongue at how grease is going to get all over the sheets and joins him, pulling on some shorts and grabbing the paper plates he'd started bringing for nights like tonight where neither of them feel like eating out.

Handing over one of the plates, Zack starts to serve himself before realizing that Dolph's not rushing for any of the food, despite how enticing it smells. He frowns and looks up, finding that Dolph's staring ahead blankly. "Hey, bro, come on. You gotta eat something," he says softly. "Don't make me feed you."

Blue eyes now fixed on him, Dolph releases a breath. "Would you?"

Zack pauses and slowly puts his own plate down, grabbing one of the breadsticks and dipping it in the nearest container of marinara sauce. "Here." He waits patiently until Dolph takes a bite, watching him. "Is it good?"

Dolph's nod is reassuring, that bite enough to wake something up in him as he reaches finally for the box of pizza, piling a couple slices onto his plate. Zack smiles and lays the breadstick down over the pizza, pushing the marinara sauce towards Dolph before finishing serving himself.

They eat in silence for awhile, Zack mumbling appreciatively over the warm food, before he realizes that Dolph is especially quiet so he looks up to check on him. "Bro?" he asks softly, not that surprised to find Dolph had fallen asleep mid-bite. He chuckles, reaching out and grabbing the breadstick from his slack fingers, putting it down on the plate and moving the box aside so he can shift Dolph until he's laying more comfortably. Finding some napkins left behind from some other restaurant they'd been at earlier in the day, he pours some water over it and wipes Dolph's fingers off. "G'night, bro," he says softly, kissing him quietly before finishing his own food and putting the rest of the pizza into the fridge.

Turning the lights off and sinking down next to Dolph, he wraps an arm around him and holds him close. "You'll win it back, you'll see." He kisses the back of Dolph's neck before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself.


	56. Single

"I thought this was only going to be a one-and-done sort of thing," Zack grouses, staring at R-Truth as he runs around in Dolph's shirt. He crosses his arms over his chest and raises his eyebrows in annoyance as Dolph rambles on about why and how and where and when this idea came to fruition. A story Zack knows all too well by now, something he's far from interested in hearing _again,_ but he grits his teeth and waits Dolph out, still cranky that Dolph had completely forgotten him in all of this grand planning.

"Fine," he says. Repeats it a little louder until Dolph finally shuts up and listens. "Fine. Then I guess maybe I should take the hint and leave you two to it. Have fun." He grabs his things and leaves, Dolph watching on with parted lips and a shocked look in his eyes, unsurprised but hurt when Dolph doesn't even go after him. He sneers and shakes his head, continuing to walk despite how each step pushes another spike through his chest. "Dammit."

He finds himself in Heath's locker room, Wade looking unimpressed at finding him in there, but barely responds beyond that, ducking into the shower to wash off his latest match. Heath chuckles to himself before turning to Zack, the amusement quickly fading as he gets a good look at Zack's face. "Hey, what's going on, man?"

Zack shrugs. "Dolph won't give up on this stunt double thing," he sighs. "It's bugging me more than it prolly should, bro, but... I really thought it was only going to be a time or two, and then done." He sits down heavily and releases a breath. "It's just Truth's around _all_ the time, and he's usually a nice enough guy, but only in small doses... now it feels like there's three people in this relationship, and... I just want it to be over with, but Dolph is enjoying it so it's probably going to last for months or something." He grimaces as Heath sits down next to him, lightly rubbing circles against his shoulder.

They're still sitting there during Dolph's rematch against Mike, Zack swallowing when Dolph regains the Intercontinental title, his smile slipping when Truth celebrates with him. Heath makes a sympathetic face and watches as Zack gets up. "You gettin' out of here, man?"

"Yeah," Zack sighs. "I think I have an interview with Eden or something later." It's a fluff piece, he doesn't have enough going on to really have anything to promote, but still. It gives him something to do for a couple minutes. For some reason, she asks about his relationship status and he flounders for a moment before laughing self-depreciatively. "I'm single." It brings him up short but the words have already left his lips and he considers backtracking, requesting a re-film... but ultimately decides just to roll with it, the misspeak leaving him awkward but not caring enough to actually speak up on his error.

When it's over, he turns to walk away and stops short upon finding Dolph standing a few feet away, a blank look on his face. As the blood drains from his face, he swallows and watches Dolph walk up to him, waiting to be punched or something- just to be grabbed by the arm and pulled in to a rough kiss that slowly grows gentle, Dolph's free hand cupping his jaw. "You're not single," Dolph informs him simply, ignoring everyone as they gape and whisper. "And I'm done with the stunt double thing. How's that sound?"

Zack inhales. Then exhales. "It sounds really good, bro."

"Well, good," Dolph says. "I think so too." He leans in and kisses Zack again, grinning as Zack relaxes against him.


	57. Failure

After their failed attempt at getting a Wrestlemania match, Zack had always imagined what another match against Dolph would be like. The two of them using the things they'd learned the last few years, confident in the knowledge that this time it wouldn't come between them like it had before... So, with these thoughts rattling around in his mind, he fights and tries to win a battle royal for #1 contendership towards the Intercontinental title, but gets eliminated too early.

He curses and angrily throws things in his bag, not caring when his clothes bunch up, or his other things get crushed under the weight of everything else. He's struggling to zip it all up when Dolph's hand closes around his fingers, stopping him. "Bro, let me go," Zack mumbles, not in the mood for his empty platitudes right now.

But Dolph's fingers tighten around his own and finally Zack looks up, glowering in a way that lets Dolph know all of Zack's anger is aimed at himself right now, not at Dolph in the slightest. "Come on, kid. You'll have other opportunities," he says softly, tugging the abused bag out of Zack's grip and letting it drop unceremoniously to the ground. "In the meanwhile, we should find something else to focus on."

Zack frowns and watches as Dolph sorts through his bag, making sense of the mess he's made, and then easily zips it up before turning to smile cheerfully at him. "What are you planning, bro?" he asks dully.

"You'll see," Dolph says. "But we can't talk about it here." Clasping Zack's hand, he pulls him into the hallway and glances left to right before slipping outside, Zack frowning at him. "Trust me?"

Zack releases a breath. Shrugs. "Fine." He allows himself to get dragged away from the arena, along a sidewalk leading to the park that's across the street from the arena. They walk in silence for awhile before Dolph stops by a bench and drops down unceremonously, listening to the wind whispering in trees. Zack hesitates for a moment before joining him, digging his feet in the soft dirt. "Bro..."

Dolph turns and smiles at him. "So here's my idea," he says, whispering in the semi-darkness and watching as Zack's eyes widen, slowly nodding in agreement with what he's suggesting.

"I like it," he mumbles, leaning in and lightly kissing Dolph until it dawns on them both they should be getting back to the arena before their absenses are noticed and they get in trouble. "C'mon, bro."

Barely an hour later, they make their presence felt in JBL and Cole filming and begin to put the pieces in place to take the show over.


	58. Cry

TheCurtHawkins

Have many times have you seen ZackRyder cry? #AskTheHeel

The tweet isn't directly aimed at Dolph, but it does include his Q&amp;A hashtag. He frowns at it, taps his finger against the screen, and although dozens of other questions are pouring in for him, he can't get it out of his mind. Not that he would _ever, ever, _ever answer it on social media, but it brings back a flood of memories, some good and a lot that are just painfully awful.

He first meets Zack when Zack is still young, barely 22 years old. He's cocky and self-assured, under the tutelage of Edge, but there is something there, hidden down deep that Dolph isn't sure of. He doesn't realize what it is until later, much later, when he is wandering down a hallway, trying to catch his breath after winning his first match. There's a weird, snuffling noise a few feet away, and he wonders if maybe someone's injured, but he cares first and foremost about his own well-being so he approaches uncertainly, frowning into the shadows. "Hello, my name is Dolph Ziggler. Who's there?" he asks, the standard greeting now slipping from his lips whether he wants it to or not.

There's a shuffling sound and then a bemused, tear-stained Zack Ryder peeks out of a cluster of crates, their eyes locking. He flushes, realizing he's caught, and tries to scramble up while wiping his face off. "Oh, hah, hey bro," he says, trying and failing to sound normal as his voice gives up and cracks half-way through.

"Hey, kid," he responds simply, thrown anew by just how young the guy looks, especially now. "You alright?" Zack nods, looking nervous, and Dolph offers him a crooked smirk. "What are you doing on the floor then?"

"Nothing," he says defensively, dusting his knees off as he stands up fully. "What are you doing over here?"

"Thought I heard something," Dolph says near dismissively. They stand there quietly for a few moments before Dolph clears his throat. "Well, there's one thing to do at a time like this," he says, clapping his hands. "Let's go get somethin' to eat." He wraps an arm around Zack and forces him to walk down the hall, all too aware of the reddened state of his eyes but not bothering to comment on it.

He's not surprised when Zack confesses later on, after some food and drinks, that the homesickness was particularly rough that day, having seen it much too often in other, younger wrestlers.

-x

Months have passed, maybe a year, and Dolph finds Zack staring at a calendar, a distant look in his eyes. He stands by him, staring at the calendar as well, wondering what Zack could see there that he couldn't. Finally he licks his lips and whispers, "Kid? What's up?"

Zack barely responds to his voice, releasing a breath. "Nothing," he says but Dolph can hear the soft hitch in his voice that reminds him so much of when they first met, when he was still so young and new to the world of the WWE.

He doesn't push it, however, knowing that Zack will talk when he wants to. So he stands next to him and he waits, and he listens to the soft inhales and exhales. After a few minutes, Zack reaches out and finds Dolph's hand in the shadows and lifts it, pressing it against his chest, against an uneven ridge of flesh that Dolph had always wondered about but never found the time to ask.

"You know when you have lung cancer, they put a little shunt right here, and it feeds chemo into you?" Zack asks after a few moments, feeling as Dolph's fingers explore the uneven dips in his chest gently. Dolph doesn't respond, unsure _how_ to respond. "No one really asks," he says. "They probably think it's just another side affect of being a wrestler, or something. Maybe I got nicked there by something innocent." His voice hitches again and Dolph suddenly doesn't want to know as much as he _needs_ to, Zack's fingers trembling against his own.

"Kid," he whispers, horrified for the man who he'd just started to get involved with recently. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" 

"I don't let it dictate my life," he tries to explain. "I never wanted it to be a part of _this._ You know? My career as a wrestler, it shouldn't... It..." He closes his eyes. He sniffs, turning towards Dolph with desperation bleeding from his wet eyes. "It's just days like today, I remember how scared my parents were. Hell, how scared I was." He looks once more at the calendar. "It was this day, all of those years ago, I was told I was in remission. That I was going to be ok. It was this day that I felt like I could really breathe again."

Dolph reaches out and holds his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm glad you were," he says softly. "Really glad, kid." When Zack nods, still crying slightly, he grips the back of Zack's neck and draws him in, hugging him close as he cries out the rest of his emotions. While he waits this out, he stares at the calendar and ignores the stinging of his own eyes, memorizing this date to honor it for the rest of his life too.

-x

He knew kissing Princess Leia had been a mistake as soon as her lips had touched his, but dammit, it was supposed to be _funny,_ not the serious thing it really became... it wasn't until he saw Zack the next time and found an unwelcome glare on his face that he _knew_ just how bad it really was, where this was going to end up. They barely spoke for awhile after that, just existing around each other and, whenever they did talk or touch, or anything, there was just a bite of bitterness, anger and pain locked up under their skin, in the tones of their voices.

It was only after Zack had finally kissed him, and pressed against him so tight, that Dolph _felt_ how badly he had messed up in the tension of every inch of Zack's body, in how rigid his grip was against Dolph's arms, like he was afraid if he let go, Dolph would disappear forever.

Later that night, when they laid side by side in Zack's dark, quiet bedroom, and tried to sleep, Dolph knew they were over as the bed shook with Zack's silent, bitter sobs.

-x

It's overwhelming, this reunion. One minute, they can barely stand to be in the same locker room, the next Zack is saving his things from AJ, and wishing him a happy birthday, and it's all Dolph can stand to not grab him right then and kiss him hard, apologize for everything he's ever done to cause him pain. Somehow it segues to this, where they're holding each other and whispering quiet reassurances and Dolph's hands and lips are gentle and slow, remembering every inch of Zack's skin like he'd never left it... kissing along his collar bone, musing over how normal it all feels, like they never stopped.

He's just moved back up to kiss Zack on the lips when he sees the tears glistening in his eyes. Immediately his face softens and he shifts up, kisses Zack on each eyelid. "Oh kid," he murmurs. "It's ok. I'm overwhelmed by it all too."

"Wouldn't know it," Zack whispers, laughing sheepishly at himself as he wipes at his eyes clumsily. "You're always so cool and calm." Dolph affectionately bumps his nose against Zack's and smiles. "I love you, bro."

"I love you too, kid." They kiss and when Zack gets a little emotional again through the night, Dolph holds him just a little tighter, and soothes him just a little more gently.

-x

He shakes his head of these memories when Zack drops down next to him, a cheery grin on his face. Examining him, he's sure there are other times when Zack's cried in front of him, some lost to the concussions he's suffered over the years, and some that he passed off as unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Either way, if he did decide to answer Hawkins—not that he would, even he'd never out Zack about something so humiliating on such a public place as Twitter- but, he thinks glumly, leaning over to hug Zack close and kiss him softly, the answer easily would be '_Much too often.'_


	59. You Look Good

Zack stands outside of the bathroom, tapping his foot. "Oh come on, bro. It can't be _that_ bad," he calls through the door, lips twitching in some amusement. "Let me see!"

"No," Dolph all but whines, shuffling behind the door annoying Zack even further. He's just about to grab the doorknob and force the door open when Dolph makes his way out, picking at the shirt that's a little loose on him. Zack's shorts are resting just so against his hips and he flushes, staring down at himself. "I look ridiculous! Your clothes are too damn big, I should just-"

He stops short when Zack shakes his head, their eyes locking. "You look good," he says. "Really good. Besides, it's just temporary, yeah? You'll get your stuff back, or go back to Arizona... no point in buying more just for the next couple of days..." His hand inches out towards Dolph, resting against the warmth of his stomach and Dolph shivers. "Ya know, I never really bought people saying how good others look in their clothes... but I think I do now..."

Dolph smirks at him, still hating all of this. Wanting, _needing_, his things back. "I wouldn't know, you never wear my shirts enough for me to get a good gauge."

Zack purses his lips, staring at him. "It really bugs ya, wearing my clothes this much?"

"Kid, it's not really the clothes that's the problem. I'm so screwed if I don't get my stuff back," he finally confesses. "That intercontinental belt... If I've lost it, well, hell, maybe I don't deserve to be champion just for losing it in such a dumb way. If I don't get it back, I don't know what's going to happen."

Zack cringes, not thinking about that before. "Oh... yeah." They sit quietly for a minute, Zack wishing there's something he could do to take that look off of Dolph's face. "Hey, I'll be right back," he says, offering a small smile before making his way back to the bedroom.

He has a number of wrestling shirts that friends have given him over the years, all preserved in plastic wrap and barely worn. Next to his Star Wars and Ghostbusters paraphernalia, these shirts are the things he takes the best care of, but he decides to make an exception. At least this once. Sighing, he reaches out and pulls out one of the nearest shirts, turning to look at himself in the mirror. "Well, here we go."

When he walks back out, Dolph looks up to say something to him about supper, when the words die in his throat and he swallows hard. "Kid..." Zack's wearing his blue Stealing the Show shirt, and Dolph swallows, suddenly understanding what he'd meant earlier. "Damn."

"Do I look completely ridiculous or what?" Zack offers with a weak laugh, smoothing the shirt over his midsection selfconsciously.

"No, it... looks really good on you. You should wear it more," Dolph says, getting up and punching Zack in the arm. "Why don't you?!"

Zack shrugs. "I dunno, bro. Between gym and everything else, I'm kinda rough on my clothes so I usually keep 'em in my closet so they're kept in good condition, y'know?" He stares down at himself. "But if it keeps you distracted from everything, sure, I'll wear it for awhile." He offers a smile at Dolph and then lets out a surprised noise when Dolph's hand cups his face and draws him in for a kiss.

"Thanks, kid," he murmurs against Zack's lips. "You should wear my clothes more often. Even if it is just for my eyes only."

"Well, maybe I will," Zack breathes out, grinning when Dolph kisses him again.


	60. Autographed

"Finally!" Dolph exclaims, all but hugging his luggage as he examines it closely. Considering it'd been lost for days, it looks in fine condition, no damage visible. He sighs and hits the back of his head against the wall, barely catching the pinched look on Zack's face at him doing such things despite the concussions he's suffered in the past. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see this dumb bag."

Zack peeks in as Dolph pulls the Intercontinental belt out and hugs it to his chest, murmuring to it like it had been a lost child. He chuckles, propping the lid open the rest of the way and stopping short. "Bro, you had booze in here?" he asks, eyes flickering over to the autographed picture of himself on top of everything else. "Um..."

Dolph flushes and tries to grab for the bag, pull it away from his curious eyes, but it's too late. Zack has the bedazzled handcuffs hanging off of one finger now, an eyebrow quirked as he stares at Dolph. "So," he says, voice distressingly highpitched. "Some weather we're having today, huh?"

Dolph huffs at him before snatching the handcuffs away. "Stop nosing through my stuff," he snaps, though he knows it's ridiculous. They've lived together long enough that they know each other's habits, and this is probably far from the weirdest Zack's seen mixed in with Dolph's things.

Zack shrugs, holding his hands up in surrender before backing away from the bag. "Fine, bro. Just got me curious why you brought along the autographed picture I gave ya. Isn't the real thing enough for ya?" He smirks as Dolph rolls his eyes and re-organizes things in the suitcase, pulling out the beers and Naked juice to refridgerate them.

Zack, growing brazen again, slips up behind him and picks up the autographed picture. "It is a pretty good shot of me," he offers, eyeing it and hearing as Dolph's breathing grows a little rougher.

"Yeah," he mumbles. "It is. And it was the first picture WWE had taken of you for awhile, remember? So you gave it to me and said..."

"I said I wanted you to have the first official autographed copy."

"Yeah," Dolph breathes out.

"I didn't know that meant so much to you, bro, that you would bring it along on tours and stuff," Zack whispers, brushing Dolph's hair aside so he can kiss his neck.

"It meant a lot to me because I knew finally getting to take another picture meant a lot to you," Dolph says, his eyes dark and fixed as Zack's hands tilt his head so their lips can meet in a proper, lingering kiss. "Hey, kid."

"Yeah, bro?"

"Let's take the beer and see what we can find to do with the rest of the stuff in the suitcase." Dolph's grin is wide and a bit lecherous- _when is it not, though?-_ and Zack rolls his eyes.

"Alright, bro. That beer is nasty though," Zack mumbles, already missing his Budlight Limes.

"Yeah, well, they need drank," is all Dolph says, gripping Zack by the hand and dragging him into the other room.


	61. Broski Buster

"I'm thinking about remaining my facebuster," Dolph says lazily one morning, face pressed into Zack's back as he pretends to sleep. When Zack mumbles something, Dolph shifts against him and yawns softly. "Maybe Broski Buster or something."

Zack tenses, his eyes forced open. "Why would you do that?" he wonders, huffing sleepily. "It's not funny, bro."

Dolph hums. Soothes a hand down Zack's back. "Who's to say it's meant to be funny?" He kisses Zack between the shoulderblades before settling back into a resting position, smirking to himself as he considers it all.

A few weeks have passed and Zack's all but forgotten this exchange when he's backstage, watching Raw with a few other scattered wrestlers unused this evening. Cesaro is wrestling Dolph at the moment and it's been going on for awhile when Cesaro keeps trying to hit powerbombs just for Dolph to reverse- hitting a facebuster on the second try. "Oh no," Zack mumbles, pressing a hand to his face as the match comes to a conclusion with Cesaro winning a couple moments later.

Zack grimaces at the loss, deciding to let the facebuster thing go for a minute. After getting checked out by the trainer, Dolph's free to go and Zack rests a hand on his shoulder, leading him out of the arena, having already packed their things. Dolph is quiet, busy with his phone through most of the ride back to the hotel, and Zack lets him be, humming under his breath to the pop music playing on the radio. By the time they arrive, Dolph seems a little less cranky over the loss and even smiles at Zack as they walk side by side to the elevator.

Catering had been decent that night, so neither are overly hungry, instead just opting to relax and watch some TV before bed. Zack even lets Dolph pick, unsurprised when they end up on Comedy Central, Dolph putting the remote down and reaching out for him as he leans in and nuzzles against Dolph's chest quietly. Dolph is never all that still, always alternating between his phone and the TV, so Zack doesn't think much of his tweeting during the show that's droning on behind them... until Dolph snickers unneccessarily loudly into Zack's ear.

"What?" he grouses, sitting up and running his hand through his hair, finally deciding to check his own twitter and see what's so damn funny on Dolph's timeline. He freezes upon seeing Dolph and Billy Kidman tweeting back and forth, Dolph using the name "Broski Buster" in his tweet. Zack grits his teeth and rolls his eyes, replying back.

Dolph waits patiently until _Are you serious, bro?_ shows up on his timeline, after which he dissolves into helpless chortles and giggles. "Dammit, kid," he chokes out, rolling over and tossing his phone over his shoulder towards the chair in the corner. "I probably won't use that move often, I just thought it'd be a funny call back to our feud. If you hate it that much, though, I'll find something else to call it..."

His hands are warm on Zack's sides and Zack rolls his eyes, feeling himself give in. "Dammit, bro," he sighs, Dolph leaning up to kiss him. "Fine, name the move whatever you want..." Another kiss hinders his attempt to speak and he melts into the pillows, eyes dark and fixed as Dolph smirks. "Jerk."

Laughing, Dolph brushes his nose against Zack's and shrugs. "I'm your jerk though."

"Clearly," Zack mumbles, rolling his eyes before catching Dolph in another, lengthier kiss this time.


	62. Echo

It had been Dolph's idea, this whole taking over JBL and Cole show thing. That should've been Zack's first hint that something was wrong. Another was just how _agreeable_ Dolph was to what Zack suggested. Killing the show, which was something that he'd never quite gotten over after Z!TLIS' far from spectacular ending. He had wanted his show to wrap at around the 50th episode, but had been persuaded to continue it, to bad results... and now here was the JBL and Cole show, approaching its own 100th episode.

So taking it over long enough to end it feels right, before it starts dragging the ground like his own. And he thinks Dolph is on his side until it's time, until he's seriously succeeded at doing it, knocking JBL out and everything... and then- just like that, bam, superkick to the face. He loses track of time after that, laying on the ground, Dolph's voice echoing back to him. When Dolph pulls him up and throws him through the green screen, he doesn't move, dazed. His face is throbbing now, his entire body tense from the fall, and he hasn't felt this angry in awhile. "Are you serious, bro?" he mumbles, struggling up to his feet a few minutes later to find himself alone. Dolph's gone, the camera crew's gone, everyone's gone.

Digging his palms into his eyes, he groans and tries to shake off the headache the superkick had brought him, staggering back towards the locker room. His eyes narrow as he comes upon one of the camera guys, looking over the footage and editing it here and there. "Let me see that," he snaps, grabbing at the device and ignoring the man's protests. He figures out how to play it- the device isn't _that_ different from what he used to film Z!TLIS back in the day, after all- and watches, jaw tense, as he and Dolph celebrate ending JBL, everything that leads up to the superkick. He huffs, putting it down and looking up to find Dolph standing in the doorway, watching him. The only thing keeping Zack from going after him right away is that the screen is paused on his face, and he looks really glum about it all. Not much better than how he looks right now, staring at Zack.

"Well, that was fun," Zack says sarcastically, handing over the camera to the tech and watching him scramble away, scandalized and checking over his equipment.

Dolph sighs and walks in slowly, settling down next to Zack. "Look, I probably should've just told you beforehand but I thought doing it on the show might be a bit of a wake up call for you. I know you still feel weird about the end of Z!TLIS, but trying to end the JBL and Cole show... well, it won't change how things went with yours, you know? You have to let them do their own thing, and however it ends, that's for JBL and Cole, or Renee, or whoever, to deal with. This show, or any other future youtube show that may crop up, doesn't have to be your responsibility. Alright?"

Zack grunts, rubbing at his jaw, and Dolph looks even more guilty as he ducks down to try to look at him. "I know you're right," he mumbles, leaning into Dolph's touch as he lifts Zack's head up so he can see better. "It's just weird. I feel like I started all of this, kind of, all of the youtube shows and stuff, and now... my show's about to be overtaken as the longest running WWE Youtube show and..." He hisses as Dolph's finger ghosts over where his boot had imprinted not even half an hour ago. "You're right, it's not my place, and it was kinda childish to try to sabotage it for 'em..."

Dolph nods, leaning closer and lightly kissing where he'd kicked him. "It's ok, kid. No harm done. It was kind of fun to be working together anyway, huh?"

"Yeah, until you kicked me," Zack pouts, looking away. "Seriously, bro-" He falls quiet when Dolph takes his hand, squeezing lightly and staring into his eyes. "What're you doing?"

"Just repeating what I said back there. I'm sorry, and I love you, kid."

Zack grunts, then laughs quietly, squeezing back. "I love you too, bro."


	63. Redemption

Dolph is feeling strangely accomplished. He had had a match against Kane, had beat him. Sure, just by the skin of his teeth, but considering it's the Big Red Machine, he feels pretty damn good about it. Thinks maybe it'll make up for his superkicking Zack on the JBL and Cole show the week prior, considering Zack still holds some understandably hard feelings towards Kane because of what he'd done to him at the most vital moment in his US title reign. He's on his way out of the arena so he can't talk, trying to keep his focus on the road, but at a red light, he sends a quick tweet to Zack that he'd finally gotten revenge on Kane for him.

Zack's reply is short, bland. _Thanks, bro._ Dolph frowns at the alert on his phone as he settles in at his hotel room, considering calling Zack but it's late, so he decides to hold off on discussing it with him until he actually gets home the next morning. Not to mention he's kind of sore himself. Kane isn't anyone to play with, even if you are relatively healthy, and not in a back brace... or wheelchair. Dolph grimaces, remembering that night all over again. He and Zack were on the outs at the time so he couldn't even go to him... forced to hear reports through the grapevine for the next few weeks until Zack had returned. All in all, Zack had been lucky... but he still has back problems to this day. Thus, the urge to get some modicum of revenge, even at this late date.

Dolph falls asleep with a frown on his face and wakes up in about the same fashion, his muscles tight and sore as he rolls out of bed and starts to pack the last few things scattered around. It's not that big of a surprise when he lands back in New York and Zack is at the airport, waiting for him. He smiles upon catching sight of him and sighs when Zack starts kneading his shoulders on the way to the car, Dolph's bag digging into Zack's arm with each step. "You should've at least showered, bro."

"You saying I stink?" Dolph wonders, throwing a smirk over his shoulder as Zack rolls his eyes at him. 

"No, I'm saying it'd have kept your muscles from getting like this. Geez, how long have you been in this business, bro?"

"Not long enough, apparently, kid," he says, leaning back into Zack as he unlocks the car and pushes Dolph towards the passenger's side. Settling into the seat, he sighs and turns to watch Zack cross to the driver's side. "So, that tweet you sent me last night. It wasn't what I was expecting," he admits once they're on the highway heading towards Long Island.

"What were you expecting?" Zack asks, distracted while making a quick lane change.

"I don't know, a more gushy kind of appreciation, or something." Dolph makes a face when Zack barely glances over at him. "It's not every day someone gets revenge for you, is it?"

"No," he drawls out slowly, knuckles turning white as he grips the steering wheel. Dolph notices, his brows furrowing in worry, but he barely gets to open his mouth to ask when Zack is turning sharply into a gas station on the left and killing the engine, turning to glare at Dolph. "I didn't ask you to do that! What if he'd gotten the upperhand, and did to you what he did to me? Or worse? Dammit, bro... that's why I was fine with you not trying to get _revenge_ for me, because I'd never want you hurt like I was. You've been through enough."

"So have you," Dolph says simply. "Look, kid, I know you don't want me to get hurt, but I wasn't in the picture when all of that was going on, and by the time I was, it felt like old news and we were both wrapped up in different things... this was the first opportunity I had to really do something to try to make it right. So yeah, I saw my chance and I took it, and it worked out. I promise you, I'm fine, I'm going to continue to be fine. Just try to relax, ok?" Zack is seriously worked up, now that the car's stopped and they're just staring at each other, Dolph can see it- he's all but shaking in the next seat, and Dolph sighs, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "Kid..."

"Fine," he mumbles, eyes squeezed shut as he breathes in and out. "I'll try. But you gotta try too, ok? To take care of yourself, and not put yourself in situations like that- not for me."

"Fine," Dolph sighs. "I guess. I'll stay out of your feuds... but if someone tries to use you to get to me, I'm not making any promises." They stare at each other for a few more minutes before Dolph tugs on his fingers. "Now, are we going to sit in this weird gas station parking lot all day, staring at each other, or are we going to go home? Now that you mention it, a shower would feel nice. And maybe a massage. And some food."

Zack rolls his eyes, a soft laugh slipping past his lips. "Fine. Don't ask for much, do you?" Starting the car back up, he edges it into traffic once more.

"Nope," Dolph says quietly, face tilted against the headrest so he can watch Zack the rest of the way home.


	64. Trade Off

Zack stares at himself in the mirror, waiting. "Come on, bro, what are you doing?" he finally calls out, growing impatient as he waits until the bright lights.

Dolph finally enters the bathroom too, shaking a spray bottle. "Just checking my phone, hang on a sec." Zack huffs, then closes his eyes and waits, fingers pressed against the cool porcelain sink until finally Dolph turns to him and starts to spray the Nair liberally over his back. It's a common ritual between them, Dolph nairing Zack's back when he needs it, and Zack touching up his roots- which, Dolph thinks, will soon be a one-sided thing as he catches sight once more of the damaged ends of his hair after years of putting it through such rough treatment.

Finally Zack's back is covered and they settle in to wait the required ten minutes. Dolph is tapping his heels against the side of the tub, scrolling through his phone, while Zack hums under his breath. "Anything interesting going on?" he wonders, smiling as Dolph walks over and tilts his screen so together they can read different tweets on Twitter. "Take that as a no," Zack laughs after a couple of minutes, eyes twinkling as Dolph leans over and kisses him on the jaw lightly, careful not to get too close to his back or shoulders and smudge his handiwork as it dried.

Once the time is up, Dolph puts his phone down and grips a nearby towel, returning to Zack's side and lightly rubbing the foam off, leaving Zack's back smooth and soft. "There you go," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to Zack's forearm before patting him on the chest and moving to throw the towel into the pile of dirty stuff for the hotel to deal with when they're gone. He settles in on the bed and listens as Zack starts a shower to finish washing off the leftover gunk on his skin that Dolph probably missed, idly watching the TV until the water turns back off.

Zack is warm and pliant when he settles into bed next to Dolph a few minutes later, teeth flashing in the shadowy room as Dolph shifts and wraps an arm around him, kissing the side of his face. "Thanks, bro. I'll see about your hair tomorrow."

"Sure, there's no rush," he responds, running his fingers through Zack's dark, wet hair and trying to make it stand back up once more. "I'm thinking about easing off on the bleaching anyway. My hair's really been rough lately, I don't think either of us would like me bald."

Zack sits up a bit, pulling his lip in between his teeth as he examines said coarseness with his fingers. "Yeah, I guess," he murmurs. "But how'll I make it up to you for doing my back then?"

Dolph half laughs, cupping Zack's face and drawing him in for a slow, soft kiss. "I'm sure you'll think of something."


	65. Revenge

Zack sighs, his head resting in his hand as he scrolls through Twitter one more time. For now, he's alone, waiting for Dolph to finish with his post-match check by the trainer before they can leave. He's just about to reply to a tweet when he hears a familiar sound in catering: the clanking of more metal trays full of food being put out. Deciding to go get a glimpse of what will be available, he leaves his phone on the table and heads inside. Not finding anything too appetizing there, he's about to return to his phone when a tech motions to him. "What's up, bro?" he asks, joining the man on the other side of the room.

"Just letting you know the Authority sanctioned a match with you against Rusev later on," the guy says, an almost sympathetic look on his face as he claps Zack on the arm and wanders off to do his job elsewhere.

"Great," Zack sighs, rethinking the decision not to eat something really fast right now.

Unbeknowest to him, Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury are standing out in the hallway, chortling over Zack's abandoned phone. "Look at this crap," Seth crows, holding up the phone and showing off pictures of Zack's Halloween costume and various other random things. "What a goofball." Seth smirks down at the phone before something dawns on him and he finds the twitter app on it. "Time to have some fun, boys," he says with a smirk. Deciding he probably doesn't have enough time to _really_ be evil, he skips changing Zack's password or email or anything else that would really cause problems for the man, instead simply clicking the button to make a new tweet. He ponders for a few moments before beginning to type, tongue poking out from between his teeth as Joey smirks and Jamie struggles to see the screen.

Finishing hurriedly, Seth puts the phone down and claps J&amp;J Security on the arms before pushing them ahead of him. "Let's get outta here, boys."

Zack, trying to think of something, _anything_ to do against Rusev, doesn't notice anything off as he picks his phone up and pockets it to go get changed into his gear. He's just laced his boots when Ziggler joins him, settling in next to him. "Everything alright?" he wonders, starting to tape his wrists up.

"Yeah, trainer cleared me." Dolph waits a minute before clearing his throat and holding out his phone, waiting until Zack stares at it in confusion. "What's this, kid?"

"Uh..." Zack frowns, not remembering making the tweet that clearly has his screen name, his icon, everything on it. "Is that a spoof account?" He checks on his own phone and frowns when he sees the tweet on his account, from his timeline. "What the...? Are you serious, bro? I didn't ask Cena to put me on his Survivor Series team!" Although there's still respect and some vestiges of friendship there, Zack knows better than to try to work with Cena now, choosing instead to keep his head down and try to fight his way back up on his own.

Dolph seems to relax, a vague smile crossing his face. "I didn't think that sounded like you." Casting a critical eye over Zack's gear, he ventures a guess. "Thrown into an unexpected match, kid?"

"Yeah. Rusev," Zack sighs, running his fingers through his hair once more before standing up. "How do I look?"

Dolph joins him and rests his hands on his shoulders, kneading them as he looks Zack up and down. "Siiiick," he says with a lecherous grin. Leaning in for a quick kiss, he adjusts Zack's armpads before allowing him to go, turning back to watch the match on the monitor in the locker room.

It's an average kind of match, unfortunately, for Zack when it comes to Rusev. He gets some offense in but Rusev always regains the upperhand and eventually stomps Zack in the spine before locking in the Accolade, which Zack quickly taps to. Dolph sighs and scoops up Zack's things, stuffing them in the nearest bag before shouldering it and going to meet him in the trainer's office. The trainer is overly fussy when Dolph arrives, wrapping a bag of ice around Zack's shoulder and leaving another on his thigh, but Zack seems unconcerned, greeting him with a kiss and smiling faintly when Dolph lays his bag down. "How's your arm?"

"Not great, trainer wants me to have some tests done in the morning." There's something lurking in Zack's voice but he doesn't go into details and Dolph decides to let it go for now. "We can leave soon though. He's just going to give me some stronger pain killers."

Dolph really isn't liking the sound of this but Zack looks defeated, and tired, and a bunch of other things, so he chooses to let him get a good night's sleep before forcing him to tell all. He helps Zack to undo the ice sling, putting it aside before grabbing Zack's street clothes and helping him into them. He has very little arm strength on the left and Dolph panics internally at the fact, but again bites his tongue, helping Zack regain his balance when he stumbles. "C'mon, kid. I'm tired too." His hand is warm on Zack's arm, helping to hold the ice in place as they walk out to the car.

"I gotta delete that tweet to Cena," Zack sighs. "I guess it's my fault for leaving it behind when I went into catering earlier... Who knows who did it..."

"Don't worry about it," Dolph says, eyes skittering over to rest on Seth, Jamie and Joey clumped together laughing at something on Seth's phone. As he walks past he catches a glimpse of the picture Zack had posted before Dolph had insisted on helping him get dressed- when he was looking so miserable, with the ice wrapped around his shoulder down his chest. His eyes narrow and he nods, suspecting he has the answers to Zack's question. "I'll take care of it all."

Once they arrive at the hotel room, the pain killers act fast and Zack is almost asleep before Dolph even gets his shoes off, pushing him back onto the bed and standing over him for a few, tense moments, watching him slowly drift to sleep. Leaning in, he kisses Zack on the forehead and breathes out, "I'll be back in a little bit, kid. Don't worry." Concussions may have done... interesting things to Dolph's memory, and sometimes his impulse control, but he's still crafty. Still cunning. Still a competitor in a sport requiring him to be quick on his feet.

The Authority is never hard to find. Not only do they travel in the most obnoxious easy to spot vehicles, but they only go to the richest, most uppity places in town too. Still, Dolph is surprised by how little he has to drive around before he finds their limo. _Yeah,_ he thinks, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. _Inside celebrating how they've gotten rid of Orton._ He parks, takes the keys out of the ignition and lurks around outside, pretending to check his phone whenever someone comes in or out. He's not dressed properly for this place, but his black, ratty jeans and dark hoodie seems to blend in well enough in the shadows that no one disturbs him.

_Finally_ Seth stumbles out, seeming more than a little drunk off of his own celebration, and Dolph watches through narrowed eyes as Jamie and Joey follow, not drunk, but there for protection, of course. Couldn't let anything happen to the golden boy. Slinking forward, Dolph catches J&amp;J both by surprise, superkicking first Jamie, then Joey from behind. Seth remains oblivious, humming off-tune to himself as he wanders around, enjoying the cool evening breeze. That is, until Dolph grabs his arm and spins him around, smirking as Seth immediately moves onto offense, trying to swing and missing beautifully. Dolph laughs in his face before ducking another wildly thrown punch, snagging him by the head and hitting a ZigZag, leaving Seth groaning and spitting in the dirt.

Getting to his feet, he dusts himself off and leans over the drunk, hurting man. "If you ever touch Zack's phone again, I'm gonna do something that makes tonight seem like child's play. Karma's a bitch, _architect._" Kicking some dirt at Seth, he stretches out the kinks in his back that doing a move like that in a place like this had brought him before making his way back to the car, now eager to return to the hotel before anyone else from The Authority finds Seth and goes after him. Not that Seth will be sober enough to really remember, and J&amp;J are worthless, so he's not concerned there either.

To his relief, Zack is still fast asleep when Dolph returns so he quietly kicks his shoes off, unzips his hoodie and kicks his dirt stained jeans off, kneeling by the bed to watch Zack sleep. His face is smooth, relaxed, and Dolph smiles, brushing a finger over his brow. He's still not sure what's going on, if Zack's injured how bad it is, but he's surprised by how little it bothers him, the certainty of at least one part of the situation held deep down to his core. "No matter what, I'll be right here by your side, kid," he murmurs. "I promise."


	66. Admission

After a few hours spent at the hospital, enduring tests on his arm, Zack finds himself back in bed, buried under pillows and sheets, Dolph leaning over him. "Phone was ringing," he says, holding it out to him until he wakes up, scrubbing at his eyes with his good hand. "It's the hospital."

_This _wakes Zack up and he takes it, holding it up to his ear once he sees that Dolph had answered it. "...'Lo?" His lips twitch up as Dolph settles in next to him and he listens to the WWE doctor on the other end explain in detail what he already knew, the options he has before him. That he would definitely be missing the upcoming European tour... and maybe much more than that. He closes his eyes and grimaces. "Alright. Thank you." Hanging up, he drops back down against the pillows with a grimace, regretting the move as pain stabs up his shoulder.

Dolph lays down next to him, staring at the ceiling as he inches his hand over and tangles their fingers together. "What is it?" Zack's breath hitches and he doesn't rush to respond, Dolph squeezing a little tighter. "Kid, c'mon..."

"Torn rotator cuff," he finally confesses, voice cracked and weak. "Guess you're goin' to Europe without me, bro." He's trying to inject humor, and clearly failing, as Dolph sits up, wraps an arm around him and hugs him gently. He's shaking and the fingers of his good hand is digging in Dolph's back. "I can't... I can't..."

"Can't what, kid?" Dolph murmurs, kissing below his ear.

"I can't be out for long, I just- I'm already on thin ice as it is, my spot is shitty, yeah, but _this_... I'll lose it, and I may never regain it, they'll probably fire me before I'm good to go, or-" He's panicking, his eyes wide and dark, his breathing rough and ragged, and Dolph pulls back, cupping his face.

"Stop it, kid, you're gonna make yourself have a panic attack. Just breathe. Tell me what your options are."

Zack coughs. He breathes in slowly. Releases it even slower. "I, uh. There's a thing they do with stem cells... they take bone marrow out of your hip, and then inject them in your arm, and if all goes well, it helps to heal the tear. I rest for a few weeks and, if all goes well, be able to start rehabbing in a couple of months or so. If that doesn't work, it'd be the surgery..."

Dolph nods. "Alright." Either sound awful, but it's clear which one is the better option, especially with the mindset Zack's in. "So you're going to want to do the stem cells, right?"

"I think so," he breathes out. "It'll be during the European tour, though. Soonest they can get me in is November 11th."

Dolph hisses through his teeth and rests his forehead against Zack's. "I'll call you, kid. Before and after. Just... make sure your parents are there, ok? I don't want you alone during all of that."

"Good luck keeping them away," he chuckles weakly, brushing his hand up Dolph's wrist. "Ugh, this sucks out loud, bro."

"I know." Dolph shifts their positions, easing Zack into his arms and hugging him from behind. "It'll work out though, kid. You'll see." Zack is tense, his breathing still sounding off to Dolph's ears and he suspects he's fighting not to cry. Kissing the side of Zack's head, Dolph murmurs, "Let it out, kid." And that works, Zack shuddering as he turns and buries his face in Dolph's shoulder, his tears soon soaking Dolph's sleeve. He runs his fingers through Zack's hair, listening to each hitch in his breath, each strangled noise he makes. "You're gonna be ok," he whispers.

"I don't want you to go," he finally admits.

"I don't want to go either," Dolph sighs. "Especially now. But I'll call as often as I can, and send pictures. You'll probably get annoyed with how many pictures I send you." He cups Zack's face, gently wiping the tear tracks away, and draws him up until they can look at each other, lazily pressing a kiss to his lips. "And when I get home, I'll take care of you. Anything you need or want, I'll get it, I'll do it. Just gotta ask."

After a delayed moment, Zack's lips curve up into an almost mischevious smile, drawing Dolph closer with his working arm. "Can that start now?"

"Oh boy, I might regret suggesting this, huh?" Dolph hums, kissing Zack again and swallowing his bark of laughter.


	67. Six Months

As the road to Survivor Series rolls on, Dolph finds himself antsy and impatient for updates on Zack's condition, but there's nothing really to be known until his procedure in a couple of days so he decides to get up to speed on what exactly a torn rotator cuff could mean, what the road to recovery might mean for Zack. A quick google search later and Dolph is swallowing hard, reading through what Zack had told him about the stem cell treatment, his eyes locking when he reaches the description for _surgery_. "Six months?" he hisses out, slapping his phone down onto the table he's next to.

HIs blood boiling at the injustice of it, he storms out of the arena and stares up at the dark grey skies of Liverpool, England, needing something to do, some way to let out his anger before his match later. There are odds and ends that the techs had left out here, empty crates and scattered equipment, and he starts throwing it all, tearing at everything and anything in his path, aware that he probably looks pretty insane right now and not caring. His own career circling the drain more times than he'd care to admit since losing the World title and the concussions and everything else, it was made just a little more tolerable with Zack around, and the thought of having to be without him for so long, not to mention Zack's own worry about his career's security during such a lengthy recovery period...

He snarls and throws another empty crate against the wall, yelling blankly at the sky before sinking to his knees and holding his head. "This is all my fault," he finally sputters out, not that surprised when he hears footsteps behind him and looks up to find Cena approach, his leader at Survivor Series. They stare at each other for a minute before he sinks down next to Dolph.

"What is?" he asks levelly, no judgment in his eyes. No censure. Just concern.

"Zack," Dolph breathes out. "The Authority put him against Rusev to get to me, now his arm is jacked up and he might be gone for six months, and it's all my fault."

Cena sits quietly for a minute. Looks at everything Dolph's wrecked in the last few minutes. "Did he blame you for it?"

"No, of course not," Dolph snaps impatiently. "He wouldn't... not out loud, anyway, but it doesn't matter. I know it's my fault. They're using him against me and now he's hurt." Cena watches him for a few minutes before Dolph looks up. "What?!"

"Then make them pay for it," he says simply. "Go out there tonight, beat Mark Henry, shut up the Authority, and then go home and be there for Zack."

Dolph stares at him for a minute. He still doesn't trust him, not after their own history, not after what Zack endured partially because of him, but it's sound advice. He decides to go along with it, heading out to the ring when it's time to wrestle Mark Henry. His focus is scattered, however, and he eventually makes one mistake too many and eats a steel chair for his trouble, winning by DQ. Mark then throws him into steel steps but, before anything else can happen, Big Show arrives and declares he's on Team Cena.

After Sheamus joins too, the team disperses and Dolph goes to the locker room to change, eager to leave, get some sleep. One night closer to returning to the States, to see Zack. At least, that was the plan... until he's grabbed and thrown into the wall, then kicked roughly in the head, before being grabbed by the back of the head and dragged away, randomly thrown into things as he goes. He's all but unconscious when he's thrown into the Authority's locker room, sputtering and coughing through the agony as Luke Harper stands over him and tells HHH and Stephanie McMahon that he's a team player.

HHH, smirking so widely that even Dolph could see it through his flickering vision, calls maintenance and tells them that the office needs cleaned up, leaving him sprawled there and helping Stephanie to step over him as well. When the door opens again, he's _almost_ relieved to see Cena, despite how demoralizing it is to get dragged up by one of his least favorite people, guiding down the hall to the locker room he'd been trying to get to earlier. Cena grabs his things and eases him down the hall to his private locker room where he locks the door after helping Dolph sit down. "Do you need the trainer?" he asks in a take-charge, no nonsense voice that isn't too common for Cena.

"No," he grunts, holding his head.

"I think-"

"I said no," Dolph insists, looking up and glaring at Cena as they regard each other for long, tense minutes.

"Fine," Cena sighs. "But it's clearly not safe for any of us to be alone anymore, so just... hang out for awhile, yeah? Catch your breath, I'll get you some pain killers, and then we can leave."

Dolph's just nodded when he realizes that Cena is screwing around with his cell phone, a pinched look crossing his face. "Hey, what the hell-?" But his huffy exclamation dies away when his phone is slapped into his hand and a groggy sounding voice comes from the speaker.

"Bro?"

"Kid?" he demands, holding the phone up to his ear with enough pressure that it almost hurts. "Hey, how are you?"

"I think I should be the one askin' that," Zack murmurs. "I caught some of Raw. You alright?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Dolph sighs, relaxing a bit at hearing Zack's voice. "You sound sleepy. Did Cena wake you up?" He casts a suspicious glare at his _leader_, who merely shrugs innocently before turning away to pack up the last of his crap scattered around the room.

"I texted him," Zack says. "Told him to find you, get you somewhere safe. To let me talk to you."

Dolph closes his eyes, a warm rush of emotions overwhelming him. Even across an ocean, Zack's doing the best he can to keep him safe. "Thanks, kid," he murmurs. "BIg day tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah. Getting that procedure done. I don't think I'm going to get much sleep the rest of the night. My dad snores."

Dolph laughs softly. "Well, if you want to talk, just text me. I'll be up for a little while longer myself."

"Alright, I will," Zack agrees, sounding close to sleep already. "I'll make sure to call you after the procedure tomorrow."

"You'd better," Dolph tells him. Both linger, neither wanting to get off of the phone, content just to listen to each other breathe for a few minutes longer. "I love you, kid."

"I love you too, bro." Another few seconds, the two of them breathing in time with each other, before Zack sighs softly. "G'night, bro."

"Night, kid." Dolph scrubs at his forehead, feeling a little more centered. He looks up at Cena. "Thanks."

Cena nods, aware that he's sincere. "Let's go."

So they do, keeping an eye out for The Authority or any of their goons. No one comes, the arena is empty and quiet, and before Dolph's ready for it, he finds himself back in the bus that WWE rents for these oversea events once more, looking over at Zack's empty seat while waiting at a red light. Sighing, he finds his earphones and sticks them in his ears, chuckling when Backstreet Boys is the first thing to play, something Zack had clearly put in his playlist before he'd left.

Closing his eyes, he lets it play as the bus drives deeper into the night to get to the next stop on the European tour.


	68. Repair

If the days before were bad, Tuesday is excruiciating. Between the traveling, and the event, and the general _waiting._ It doesn't help that they're on different timezones, so Dolph's not sure when exactly Zack's procedure is happening. Every few minutes, he checks his phone, aware that it could be starting at any time around now. He gnaws on his bottom lip and considers calling Zack's dad, but then he thinks maybe it's already over and he's with Zack, waiting for him to be ready to head back to the hotel, so he stays his hand.

_Three weeks. Six months. _So many numbers and facts and worries bounce around Dolph's head that he's glad he's already gotten his match out of the way, certain he'd hurt someone or himself, so distracted by what's happening in Atlanta, Georgia right now. He sits, absentmindedly scraping his finger against the phone case, waiting for the show to end, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for something, _anything._

He almost throws the phone- which _entirely_ defeats the purpose- when it vibrates in his hand, his brows furrowing together as he stares down at the screen, uncomprehending for a moment before answering it. "Hello?"

"Hello, son," Zack's dad greets him warmly. "So we're sitting here waiting for Zack to get the go-ahead to leave and it kinda dawns on me that maybe my sleepy-head boy over here would like to talk to someone... Think I'm right?"

Dolph can imagine him grinning obnoxiously at his son. "Yeah," he breathes out. "I think you are."

When he hands the phone over, Zack _does_ sound a little sleepy, but better than Dolph had expected. "Hey, bro."

"Hey, kid. How're you feeling?"

"Alright," he says. "A little sore, I think. The medicine they gave me hasn't worn off completely, so I'm mostly numb right now, but I'll be feeling it soon, probably. How are things going over there?"

Dolph shrugs, not able to think of anything important from the past few days. "It's been fine, same old same old."

Zack huffs out a little laugh, fondness in his voice. "You've been unable to really focus on it all, huh, bro? You'd usually be talking for the next half an hour about everything you've seen, the matches you've had, the food you've ate..."

"It all seems kind of meaningless right now," Dolph admits, licking his lips. "I just wish I could be there with you, kid. The thought of you alone through all of this..."

"Hey, I'm not alone," Zack interrupts. "My dad's taking good care of me, you don't have to worry. And when you're touring with WWE, he and Mom are gonna be right there, helping me with what I can't do the next few weeks, so you don't have to worry about a thing. It'll all work out. Hey, the hard part's over, right? Now we just wait and check to see if I need surgery or not." A bit of doubt fills his voice and Dolph nods, swallowing hard.

"I'll be home for that, kid. I promise. But it'll work out, it has to."

Zack's smile is slow and uncertain and audible over the phone. "I hope so, bro. I'm really gonna do my best to avoid the surgery."

"I know you will." Dolph hears chatter of a nurse in the background and figures Zack is getting discharged to go rest at the hotel before his flight back to New York. "I'll see you soon, kid. Take care of yourself."

"Alright. I love you, bro."

"Love you too, kid." Upon hanging up, he realizes that the event has wrapped up and he can leave, a small smile teasing at his lips. Just hearing Zack's voice and knowing that he'd made it through at least this much makes him feel better. _One step closer,_ he thinks, snagging his bag and jaunting out to the bus to continue on for the last leg of the tour.


	69. Ring

Finally, the European tour ends and Dolph finds himself back in the States, sitting at the foot of Zack's bed, hands warm against his calves as he idly massages the warm flesh there, opting to ignore his jetlag in place of making it up for Zack that he wasn't there after the procedure attempting to repair his torn rotator cuff. "Kid?"

Zack's sprawled out on his stomach, his hopefully healing arm carefully resting on a pillow as he breathes against the sheets. "Hmm?" he asks sleepily.

Dolph shifts up, carefully stretching out against Zack's back. "Did you see my tweet?" he wonders softly, holding his phone so Zack could see it without moving.

He watches as Zack squints at it, frowning. "Solar panels? Are you serious, bro?"

Dolph chuckles and kisses the back of Zack's neck before moving back down to where he'd left off at, rubbing up Zack's legs until his fingers find where they'd removed the stem cells from his hip to place in his shoulder, lightly rubbing the mostly faded bruise. His eyes soften as he releases a soft breath, kissing that spot, before moving up to knead along Zack's back. He moves slow, careful, reminding himself once more of the old damage there from Kane. Zack feels pliant and sleepy under his fingers, so Dolph brushes solid but gentle touches along his good shoulder and neck, keeping his bad arm for last.

Once Dolph moves to the other side, he stares down at the bruises covering this part of Zack's body, similar to his hip but more defined somehow. His touches are feather soft and slow, making sure not to jostle his arm and cause him any pain, so careful that he doubts Zack can feel this in his sleep, but he continues on anyway, lightly stroking down Zack's forearm to his wrist, before curling his fingers around Zack's. "I love you, kid."

Zack doesn't respond for a minute and Dolph assumes he really has just fallen deeply asleep but, when Dolph slowly settles in next to him, he sighs and wonders how much of a struggle falling asleep is going to be thanks to the jetlag jitters leaving him anxious and a little twitchy... when he realizes that Zack's staring at him. "Love you too, bro," he murmurs, sighing as Dolph nuzzles in and kisses him. The angle's odd, since Zack's still on his stomach, and Dolph's on his side, but they make it work, somehow. Zack groans softly into the kiss before pulling back enough to talk. "As for the tongue ring, I get a preview, right?"

Dolph's grin is sharp and quick in the half-lit room, an answer all on its own in the suggestive gleam of his eyes. "I thought you didn't notice that."

Zack smirks at him. "Course I did, bro. Now I don't know about you, but I think we should get some sleep." Zack's eyes are already fluttering shut as he says it so Dolph leans in and presses another, quick kiss to the corner of his lips before he dozes off finally.

Lulled by Zack's warmth and the sounds of his steady breathing- which is something Dolph's missed more than he's realized the last couple of weeks- he quickly falls asleep as well, arm wrapped lazily around Zack's waist in a half-hug.


	70. Solid

Zack stares at the TV, his brow furrowed. Tensions between the other wrestlers on Team Cena and Team Authority had grown more intense with each passing week, and now Dolph was wrestling Harper for his Intercontinental title. Zack's vague feeling of unease proves warranted when Dolph loses, Harper standing over him while brandishing the title belt. He fumbles, grabbing his phone with his good hand and dialing a familiar number. "Hey, bro, I need your help with something. Yeah, it's kinda huge. Basically I'll owe you a year's worth of favors..."

Curt Hawkins meets Zack outside of his apartment ten minutes later, shaking his head as he holds the car door open so Zack can throw a bag inside. "I can't believe you want to drive down to Virginia," he grouses. "No one else was picking up their phone, huh?"

Zack glances at him and shrugs. "No one else I trusted, bro."

Hawkins groans, hating when Zack says such things so earnestly, waiting for his friend to get settled in the passenger seat before shutting the door and heading for the driver's side. "I thought you were supposed to rest for the next couple of weeks."

"I am," Zack sighs. "That's why you're driving. Don't worry, I'll pay for the gas." He awkwardly pulls out some 20s from his wallet with his good hand and stuffs them in Curt's console before facing forward.

Hawkins subsconsciously hums to the stupid pop music Zack insists on listening to, glancing over at his friend every red light. "Does it hurt much?" he wonders, noticing the tension on his face.

"It's just the cold," Zack sighs. "Probably something I'm going to have to get used to." They all do, to varying degrees- cold, rain, any kind of inclement weather eats through all of them, underlines every pain and old injury in their bodies.

Hawkins sighs, almost annoyed at Zack for leaving his nice, warm house, and dragging Hawkins from his own, just for this, but he imagines Dolph's not in a good place right now after losing, so it's not like Zack's going just for the sake of it. Either way, the weather's bad enough that the traffic is lessened and they make quick time. Despite leaving at 8 PM, they arrive just a little after 2 AM, and Hawkins parks outside of the hotel that Dolph had texted Zack about earlier in the day, reflecting on how they'd stayed here together the last time WWE had been to this part of Virginia.

Zack gets out with a grunt, leaning back in after he stretches carefully. "Come on, bro. Let's find Dolph's room, you can have the spare bed."

Hawkins makes a face, not sure he wants to share a room with the two of them, but cold enough that he finally gives in and trudges after Zack once he has his bag out of the backseat. What exactly Zack says to the woman at the front desk, Curt's not sure, but apparently it works- or the woman takes pity on him with his arm in the sling and everything else. He nods towards the elevator and Curt follows him, almost asleep on his feet as they wait for a free car to come and take them to the fifth floor.

Dolph's room is 505, easy enough to remember, and Zack isn't that surprised to hear Comedy Central blaring through the door, certain that his neighbors are hating him right now. He knocks as loud as he dares and shuffles around, eyes softening as soon as Dolph pulls the door open and stares out at them, confused. "What the-?" he mumbles before Zack throws his good arm around him and hugs him tightly. "You're here?"

"Yeah, bro, I'm here. Come on." He drags Dolph back inside and leads him to the bed while Curt trudges inside and shuts the door behind them, finding the remote and turning the TV down some before collapsing onto the free mattress, Dolph and Zack's faint murmurs not enough to keep him awake.

"You should be resting," Dolph insists, biting his lip as he helps Zack out of the sling, easing his arm down to his side protectively. "Not forcing Hawkins to drive around at all hours of the night just to find me..." Shaking his head, he leans in and kisses the side of Zack's jaw, mumbling. "Guess that explains why you didn't call or text after my match..."

"Yeah. Sorry about that," Zack sighs. "I just wanted to be here for you. I feel so worthless, stuck on my couch for the next few weeks. This at least... was something I could do." He runs a finger down Dolph's cheek and smiles when he leans in to his touch, eyes fluttering. "I'm sorry you lost, bro."

"Me too," Dolph murmurs, wrapping his arms around Zack's waist and pressing his face against his uninjured shoulder. "But this... this helps, you know? It does. I'm glad you came, kid." Zack's teeth flash as he grins, a soft groan muffled when Dolph kisses him anew. Once they pull away, Zack's fingers brushing through Dolph's hair, he half-turns to stare at the motionless lump that Hawkins has become, laughing faintly. "I guess I should wait until the morning to thank him, huh?"

"Yeah, I think so, bro," Zack murmurs, gripping Dolph's jaw and drawing him back over towards him, eyes dancing as Dolph leans in and resumes kissing him.


	71. Sole Survivor

It had been a hard, long road. But here they are, the night of Survivor Series, and Dolph is sitting backstage, listening to the general celebrations going on by most of the roster. He chuckles as some of the more rambuctious members of the group- Slater, especially, by the sounds of it- insists on going out somewhere to honor this occasion _properly._ Dolph imagines he'll be dragged along to join them soon but for now, there's only one voice he wants to hear.

After a quick check of the time on his phone, he places a call to the familiar number, listening as it rings in again and again. His smile slips until finally the phone clicks. "H'lo?"

He immediately feels awful. "Oh, hey, kid, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, I thought you might still be awake."

Zack yawns into the phone, mumbling some sort of an apology before clearing his throat. "Congrats on the win tonight, bro. I knew you could do it."

The words that Dolph had wanted to hear the most since the bell had rang out his success as the sole survivor in the match, he can't help the giddy little laugh that bursts past his lips. "Thanks, kid. The Authority are finally gone. We can breathe again."

"I'm happy for you," Zack says softly.

"Hey, when I said we, I meant you too, kid. As soon as your shoulder's a hundred percent again, you'll be back here, enjoying a much more stress-free work environment. I promise."

"I hope so," Zack says, still harboring a lot of doubts over how well his recovery is going, even though he's been following the doctor's orders to the letter.

"I know so," Dolph responds after a moment. "You know I did this as much for you as I did for myself, right? They put you in that match against Rusev to try to distract me, and it's not right. You've been through enough because of assholes like Kane, I'm not going to let anyone else get away with it if I can help it."

Zack's smile is audible over the phone. "I know, bro. I'm just glad it's over and you're ok." In the distance, the sound of the other members of Team Cena are approaching and Dolph knows he'll have to get off of the phone shortly. Zack apparently can hear them too because it's only with some moroseness that he tells Dolph, "Go on, bro. Have some fun and I'll see you soon."

"Damn straight you will," he agrees, wanting nothing more than to be at home, celebrating with Zack, instead of about to be dragged off to some dive bar on the way to the next town for the next show. "I love you, kid."

"I love you too, bro."

Dolph hangs up and looks up, allowing himself to be lost in the tidal wave of celebrating wrestlers, a small smirk on his face as he carefully puts his phone away. He had _won._


	72. Rehab

"You ready?" Dolph wonders, half asleep as he squints against the bright glow of his phone. It's early Monday and the three weeks that Zack had had to spend sitting around, bored, restless and anxious, had finally passed. He could begin rehab, carefully, to see how his arm was doing, if it was beginning to heal at all. Dolph wishes he was there but Zack would be with his parents, the doctors would take good care of him. It's what he keeps telling himself, at any rate.

Zack doesn't answer for a few moments, and when he does, his voice is soft. "I think so." Dolph's about to say something else when he speaks again, "I'm scared. What if... what if this doesn't work? What if..."

Dolph releases a breath, trying not to let himself get swept away by the same fears and doubts. "Kid, it will. You've been through too much to lose more time because of that damn Rusev. No matter what, I'll be here for you, helping you through it as best as I can."

"I wish you were here today," he murmurs.

"I wish I was too, kid. But I promise, first thing in the morning, I'll be right there, taking you to your second rehab appointment. Just... listen to the specialist and take care of yourself, alright? I'll call you later on, see how everything goes."

"Alright," Zack sighs. "Talk to you then. Bye, bro."

"Bye, kid. I love you."

"Love you too," Zack responds before the phone clicks.

Dolph sighs and drops back against the pillows for a moment before deciding to get up and start his day, hoping that the sooner he gets out of bed, the sooner he'll be on a plane heading back to New York.

Somehow this works, the day passes fast enough, and he's relieved to book a flight early in the morning back to New York. After a rough, lonely night where he hadn't even heard Zack's voice because he'd fallen asleep after a stenuous first rehab appointment, Dolph gets up and packs, eager to head for the airport. The flight isn't awful, Dolph finds ways to keep himself occupied and not too jittery, but when he lands, it's to tweets by both Zack declaring that as soon as he's healthy again, he'd be reaching for that brass ring again... and Curt Hawkins' deadpan response that he hopes not.

The taxi ride to Zack's apartment feels even longer than the flight, somehow, with Dolph spending the entire time stewing over the twitter exchange. He huffs and runs his fingers through his hair while they're stuck in traffic, listening to the taxi driver's inane chatter. Finally he sees Zack's complex and all but leaps out of the car once it's finally stopped, handing over a $100- tip so generous that Dolph catches a glimpse of the driver ogling at him in amazement before he all but runs up the stairs, into the front lobby. A few more minutes and he's at Zack's door, unlocking it and sighing, leaning against the door to catch his breath.

When he looks up, he finds Zack staring at him from the doorway to the kitchen, half smiling. "Something on fire, bro?"

Dolph grunts and immediately pushes away, walking up to him. Cupping his face, he draws him in and kisses him. "Ignore Hawkins," he mumbles. "He's just bitter you're still in WWE and he's not. If it's something you want to do, you go for it, kid." Rubbing his nose against Zack's, he smiles at him. "I'll support you no matter what."

"Thanks, bro," Zack says, teeth flashing as he grins, running the fingers of his good hand up through Dolph's hair. "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad I am too." Dolph loops an arm carefully around Zack's shoulders and leads him into the living room. "So, tell me all about your rehab session yesterday..."


	73. Progress

Rehab is hard work. Dolph watches on, a sympathetic gleam in his eye as the specialist puts Zack through his paces. He'd never had an injury bad enough for lengthy rehab like this, so he hadn't known fully what to expect when Zack was injured. Watching him unable to use his arm for the last few weeks had been frustrating and painful, and leaving him behind to travel to the weekly events was even more aggravating. Rehab appointments themselves are a special kind of torture, watching Zack in so much pain and not being able to do anything to help, aware that it's something he just has to work through and endure.

"Breathe in, and out," the man guides Zack calmly, easing his arm out of his sling. "We're going to do rehab without the sling today. But first, I want you to try something for me." Zack watches warily as he steps closer and grips his elbow. "Just go with me, if it starts to hurt too much, tell me."

Zack nods, biting his lower lip in a way that Dolph would normally stop before he makes himself bleed, but he keeps quiet as his arm is guided up, slowly lifted up above his head. Zack's breathless and sweaty by the time his arm is placed back down by his side, chin pressed to his chest as he tries to get over the sharp pain that had left him cringing and grimacing. Dolph paces a couple of steps back and forth, hating the pain on Zack's face. "That's good, right?" he finally asks, voice trembling as he runs his fingers through his sweaty hair sticking to his forehead, looking up.

"Yes," the specialist tells him. "You're on schedule with your rehab. It's looking good. Now, let's get onto the regular rehab, alright?"

Zack nods and Dolph reclaims his position by the doorjam, leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest, watching closely as Zack's arm is manipulated and stretched, still clearly causing him pain but maybe not as bad as the first rehab appointment Dolph had gone to. He's feeling shaky so it's hard to remember clearly. Wonders if it was this hard for Zack during his concussions, watching him in pain and unable to do anything to help. _Probably worse,_ he thinks, picking at his fingernails.

Zack sighs once the half hour session has passed, Dolph helping him into his coat and guiding him to the car. "I need a shower," he sighs, turning his head to stare at Dolph as he settles in the driver's seat. "Every time it gets more intense... but that's good, right? Means there's a good chance I'm going to skip needing the surgery..."

Dolph smiles at him, reaching over to squeeze his good hand. "Yeah, kid. Looks like it." He lifts Zack's hand and carefully kisses it before letting it go. "What do you say we rest for awhile, you can take a shower, and I'll find something stupid to watch, and then we can go out somewhere special to eat. Gotta celebrate your progress, right?"

"Special, huh? Like where?" Zack asks with a sleepy sort of smile as they drive towards the apartment.

"Special as in, you pick and I won't complain once or try to talk you out of it. How's that sound?"

Zack's smile turns into a full fledged grin as he nods, eyes open just a slit. "Sounds pretty perfect, bro."

Dolph's eyes rests on his face for a minute before he turns back to the street. "Yeah, kid, it does," he says softly.


	74. The Zack Ryder Award

Zack gets lonely easily, bored and anxious. It's a waiting game to see if he'll recover well enough, if surgery will be avoided. Dolph wishes he could do more for him but, with his travel schedule, he's lucky if he can sit with Zack through one rehab session every week or so. So, when Dolph does Q&amp;As on twitter, if he sees a question mentioning Zack that isn't _too_ far out there, he responds. A little callous sounding to those on the outside, but he knows if he oversteps, Zack would let him know. Nine times out of ten, it just makes Zack roll his eyes and huff helplessly the next time he and Dolph see each other.

Which is why Dolph worries when Zack calls after he tweets that the Social Media Slammy should be named after Zack, but that he wouldn't want Zack in harm's way on the stage. It's a small poke at how things had gone with Kane years back, and he knows it's still a sensitive subject for Zack, understandably so. "Hey, kid."

"Hey, bro." Zack actually sounds almost cheerful, like he's close to laughing, and Dolph relaxes a little. "You're such a jerk," he says.

"You know it," Dolph smirks, his teeth flashing when Zack laughs for real this time.

"Thanks though. At least someone is making sure the WWE Universe doesn't forget about me," he says, Dolph closing his eyes as warmth suffuses him.

_He'd noticed._ Dolph hadn't doubted that he would but Zack gets lost sometimes, trapped in his own worries and uncertainties a lot, so for him to actually mention it... he smiles softly. "Well, of course, kid. How else am I going to distract you when I'm hours away? Hmm?"

Zack chuckles. "Well, it works," he says quietly. "Anyway, I just wanted to hear your voice before the Slammys. But it's almost start time so I guess I should let you go. Kick some ass out there, bro."

"Planning on it, kid. I'll send you a picture of all my awards later."

Zack's huff and eyeroll combo is back with a vengeance, Dolph laughing this time. "Whatever you say, bro. Talk to you later."

"Yes you will," Dolph says simply. "Bye, kid." Adjusting his wrist tape, Dolph looks up at the nearest clock. "Show time," he murmurs to himself before getting up and walking out of the room.


	75. Couple of the Year

_ ZackRyder_

_My couch &amp; I were nominated for Couple of the Year. JK. I was nominated for Social Champion of the year_

Dolph rolls his eyes, closing the screen out and staring at the monitor. It's a harmless joke, he's been making plenty of them all evening himself, but still. It bugs him, a little. He wants to text Zack but in the middle of the show like this... well, it's never been a good idea in the past, especially when he's about to start fussing over something. Dolph sighs out a chuckle before resting his face against his chest. "Dammit, kid," he mumbles, wishing he could be with Zack tonight instead of here, states away and only able to talk with him via text until he gets back on the road and isn't in danger of being overheard, or worse, filmed on TV.

He closes his eyes and wonders what would happen if _that_ should ever take place, how the fans and the other wrestlers would respond. He bites his lip and peeks again at the screen before sighing, staring at his phone. Zack's since gone quiet, probably watching the show and Dolph tries to as well, but not much of importance to him is happening. He sighs and closes his eyes, feeling the exhaustion from all of the traveling and wrestling and working out and autograph signings and charity events and everything else weighing at him.

It's half a dream, half his imagination running wild, he thinks, because he's not fully asleep. Not yet, anyway. The TV is droning on, and people are walking back and forth, and it's all working together to keep him awake, but he's on the brink just enough that it feels beyond realistic, this muffled world he's picturing. Zack is sitting next to him and they're watching the show quietly, cameras on them when it's announced that they've won couple of year Slammy award. Zack flushes an interesting pink color and Dolph swallows hard, the two of them exchanging almost _shy _glances.

As they walk out on stage to accept the awards, the crowd is surprisingly supportive, Dolph barely even noticing the few on their phones. They lace their fingers around the Slammy and look at each other once more before Dolph leans in and kisses Zack, soft and simple, but filled with so much emotion that he can feel it tingling through his body even in reality. It takes him a minute to realize a tech is yelling, probably needing someone for an interview or something, and he sits up with a jerk, realizing that no, Zack wasn't here, they hadn't won any sort of a slammy, and they hadn't kissed in front of everyone. Looking down at his phone, he exhales upon realizing that Zack's last tweet is still highlighted on the screen. "Hm."

Deciding to go ahead anyway, he calls Zack. Listens to it ring in. When Zack answers, he sounds surprised. "Bro? Thought you were going to wait until the show was over."

"Yeah, I was going to, but I just wanted to let you know there's only one real Couple of the Year award winner around here, and it's definitely not you and that couch," Dolph says, his voice teasing but steel at the same time. As Zack listens quietly, Dolph tells him about his dream, trying to make the description of it as vivid as possible.

"That's some dream, bro," Zack finally says, his voice faint and a little shaky. Going public had been something neither of them had ever really discussed, because both knew neither wanted to do so. They were fine with their lives the way they are, and probably always would be, neither wanting that level of public scrutiny. "So. No couch, huh?"

"Nope, no couch." Dolph sounds self-satisfied and happy when Zack chuckles.

"Alright, bro. Well, you can prove that one to me when you come home tomorrow."

"Damn straight, I will, kid," he says before noticing a tech motioning to him. "Look, kid, I'll call you back later. I have to go handle some stuff."

"Alright, bye, bro," Zack says softly.

"Bye, kid." Scraping fingers through his hair, he gets up and follows the tech to handle business, phone still in hand.


	76. Best Twitter Handle

Before Raw had begun, Dolph had won _Best Twitter Handle_ for a slammy, and then came out later to accept the Slammy for the Survivor Series match he'd been the last man standing in. Zack chuckles as he watches Dolph accept it, resting his head back against the couch to listen. Once Dolph's off the stage, Zack grabs his phone and texts. _So this is why you wanted to rename the Twitter Slammy award, huh, bro?_

_Meh, I won the Zack Ryder award a long time ago, kid._

Zack stares at the text for a few moments before cracking up laughing, not even sure what to say. Putting the phone down, he turns his attention back to the show, still chuckling every now and again when he thinks about Dolph's response. Considering Dolph had wrestled Seth and had accepted every Slammy award he could possibly win by now, Zack thinks he's done for the night, but then things begin to fall apart during the main event, with Seth, J&amp;J Security and Big Show attacking Cena.

Dolph's attempt to pull the save doesn't go too far, Big Show KO punching him and the brawl ends up by the announcer's table. Zack sits up then, watching tensely as Dolph almost gets put through a table by Big Show but fights free just for Harper to slam him through it a few moments later anyway. Zack finds himself on his feet, pacing around and gnawing at a finger as the show ends with Rollins, Jamie and Joey standing tall in the ring. "Dammit," he breathes, all sorts of ugly things running through his mind. With Dolph's history of concussions, Zack hates watching him get beat up, and the way he'd hit his head a few times in the last few minutes... Zack feels ill.

"Please, please," he mumbles. Normally he'd be going to bed after Raw to get plenty of sleep before his next rehab appointment, but his mind is racing, anxiety bleeding through his body until he can barely breathe. "Come on, come on. Ring." He glares at his phone on each pass by it, struggling to keep his head on straight. "Someone call, just... we can't both be injured right now. We can't. I couldn't help him with my arm like this." He kicks at the couch on the next time by it, gritting his teeth against the pain stabbing up his foot. "Stupid," he mumbles, finally sitting down and burying his face in his hand, scraping it up through his hair.

He's still sitting there, tugging at his hair and trying not to completely lose his mind, when the phone rings and startles him. He grabs for it, gaping at the screen before answering it hurriedly. "Bro?"

"Hey, kid." Dolph sounds a little rough, but Zack remembers all too well how he sounded after concussions in the past. Not like this, at all.

Zack swallows. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," Dolph sighs. "Little sore, but I'm really going to be ok. The trainer just confirmed I don't have a concussion, so I wanted to call and let you know everything's fine on that end." Zack doesn't say anything for a minute, slumping forward, and it's with a sympathetic twinge to his voice that Dolph asks, "You were worried, huh, kid?"

"Not at all," Zack hisses out. "Bro, you have to stop scaring me like this. The both of us can't be injured at the same time." He sounds desperate, close to tears, and he doesn't even care.

"I know, kid. I know. I'm sorry, tonight got way out of hand." Dolph exhales softly. "I'll make it up to you as soon as I'm home, ok?"

"You'd better," Zack sighs, lips twitching up a little.

"I will. Love you, kid. I have to go so the trainer can finish looking me over. I'll call you back when I get to the hotel."

"Alright, bro. Love you too." Zack ends the call and slumps back in relief for a few moments before getting to his feet. Now that he knows everything's ok, his exhaustion weighs on him and he stumbles to bed, collapsing against Dolph's pillow and hugging it close with his good arm, breathing in his scent. This soothes him and helps him to finally fall asleep.


	77. Turtle Doves

Zack exhales, resting on his couch when his phone goes off. He blinks and glances at it before forcing himself up into a sitting position, grabbing it. "Hey, bro," he says, catching a glimpse of Dolph's name on the screen before answering. "What's up?"

"What're you doing, kid?"

"Just relaxing," Zack shrugs. "What's going on?"

"I have something to show you, wanna come out to the car? It's gonna be a long drive so bring something to drink."

Zack sighs, guessing where Dolph is planning on taking him. He's beyond not feeling like getting ready to go out. His arm is aching after the last rehab but he gets up anyway, walking towards the bedroom. "Alright, bro, just give me a few minutes."

"How's your arm doing?"

"It hasn't fallen off yet," Zack grouses, putting the phone on speaker and laying it on the dresser as he slips on some jeans and a sweater to try to stay warm. He grabs his jacket and is half out of the apartment when...

"KID! Don't leave your phone behind!" In the car, Dolph chortles as he hears Zack curse loudly in the background and come running back to scoop the phone up.

-x

The drive takes a couple of hours, Zack dozing in the passenger's seat. By the time he wakes up, they're almost to Dolph's summer house and Zack's arm is feeling better, thankfully. He yawns and wipes at his face before turning to look at Dolph. "You know it's not a summer house if we spend the winter there, bro."

Dolph smirks at him. "It's a year around house, kid. I never intended on it being just a summer house, anyway. I wouldn't abandon you for half the year."

"That's nice," Zack mumbles, still sleepy and warm as he rests his head against the seat and stares at Dolph. He yawns until Dolph reaches over at a red light and strokes his knuckles, distracting him. "Hmmm." When they arrive, Zack is a little more awake which is good because it's a little slick around. Even with him steady enough on his feet, Dolph stays close just in case, not wanting him to fall and re-injure himself.

It's clear from the moment they enter the house that Dolph's been there recently, the living room nice and warm and some lights on, waiting for them. Zack looks around appreciatively, shedding his jacket and handing it over to Dolph as he goes to hang it up with his own. He's just sat down when he spots something across the room and stares at it until Dolph returns, his lips twitching up into a smile. "Nice tree, bro. Went all out for the holidays, huh?"

Dolph smirks back at him and walks over, plugging it in. Zack exhales sharply as the lights gleam around the room and glitters off of the bulbs scattered in the branches. "What do you think, kid?"

"You did it all on your own?" Zack asks, looking a little wistful. "I haven't gotten to decorate a full sized tree since I moved out of my parents'. My apartment is too small for much."

"Maybe if you didn't have so many toys," Dolph teases, leaning over and kissing him when Zack glares up at him. Zack huffs but eventually melts, kissing him back almost roughly. "How about this, next time I'll make sure to leave the tree until you're here to help me. With one exception, there'll be a limit on orange and purple ornaments." Dolph laughs and taps his nose before standing up to turn back towards the tree.

Zack gets up and wraps his good arm around Dolph, resting his jaw against Dolph's shoulder as he too looks at the tree. "Fine, no purple and orange ornaments this year... but what about this?" He dangles a couple of turtle dove ornaments in front of Dolph's face and Dolph blinks at them, surprised.

"You and your Home Alone movies, kid," Dolph murmurs, his eyes fixed as they lightly rotate left to right.

Zack chuckles and nuzzles into him, reciting like he has it memorized, which Dolph figures he probably does. "Turtle doves are a symbol of friendship and love. Keep one, and give the other to a very special person. As long as each of you has your turtle dove, you will be friends forever."

"Just friends, huh?" Dolph laughs when Zack scoffs, tilting his head and kissing him on the side of the mouth until Zack shifts to allow a more full kiss, eyes fluttering. "C'mon, let's put them on the tree together." He grips Zack's good hand and tugs him over, lightly pulling one of the turtle doves out of his grip before looking the tree over. There's an empty spot towards the top and he reaches up, fitting it carefully on the branch before stepping back, watching as Zack tries to find another free spot.

"You've filled pretty much everything else up, bro," Zack pouts, unable to find a good spot that would be somewhat visible.

He looks over as Dolph reclaims his hand and moves it up to put the turtle dove on the empty branch next to his own. "How about here? That way, they can be together."

Zack's eyes light up and he nods. "Alright, that looks good, bro." Zack carefully eases the ornament onto the branch and steps back, taking the whole tree in with a growing smile.

Dolph stands next to him and chuckles, taking in the youthful look on his face. "Merry Christmas, kid."

Christmas is still a couple of weeks away but it's clear neither of them care as Zack leans against Dolph and grins. "Merry Christmas, bro."


	78. Outed

It's a normal day, really. Or at least it starts off that way. Zack is waiting for Dolph's flight to land after the week's Raw, doing the few rehab exercises he's cleared to do- carefully- on his own. Every day, he gets a little stronger, finds a bit more flexibility in his range of motion. The doctor's optimistic, but even more important, _he's_ optimistic that he'll be back in WWE within a month's time or so. He doubts he'll have an opportunity to get back at Rusev- or if he'd even want to, honestly, determined to avoid further injury for as long as possible- when his phone flashes.

He grunts and rolls over, picking it up with his recovering hand... remembering when he couldn't even lift it a month ago. _Ah, the marvels of modern medicine,_ he thinks, staring at the screen. "Wait... what? WHAT?" he all but yells, immediately getting to his feet and staring in disbelief.

It had been a joke, probably, some dumb, random comment by some dumb, random fan... to Dolph's brother, of all people, inquiring how long he knew Zack and Dolph were a couple. Which would've been easy enough to ignore, if Ryan hadn't responded _"I knew for some time."_

Zack's frozen in place, can't take his eye off of those five damning words. He wants to murder Ryan, briefly, all thoughts of revenge against Rusev swept far to the back of his mind in leui of _this_ betrayal. It had been a quiet thing, really, only those closest to them were aware that Zack and Dolph even _were_ a thing, and yeah, Ryan had been trusted with the information shortly after they'd gotten back together, when they were sure it was going to last. But Zack had never thought he'd publicly out them like this.

He's not sure how much time passes before he hears the front door open and Dolph walk in, humming under his breath. Probably unaware, as Zack had been tagged in the tweet, but not Dolph. Zack closes his eyes as Dolph walks up to him and lightly presses a kiss to the injection site on his upper shoulder. "Hey, kid." When Zack doesn't answer immediately, he pulls back and looks at him with a frown. "Kid? Is everything alright?" Zack exhales and hands him the phone, which Dolph stares at blankly for a moment. "Ugh, that idiot," he sighs, handing the phone back to Zack.

Zack watches as Dolph leans over, picks up his bag and wanders back into the bedroom to discard his clothes and things to repack for the next week. Gnawing at his lower lip, he follows him. "Bro, he outed us! On social media! What if the 'news' sites pick it up, and then the whole world knows, and-?"

He's on the verge of a panic attack for real when Dolph turns sharply, drops his bag and cups Zack's face, staring into his eyes. "That's not going to happen," he says soothingly. "The people who do see it, they're just going to decide that my brother is making another stupid joke, which he and I are well known for by now, right?" Zack swallows under his fingers but, before he can respond, Dolph lightly kisses him. "And even if the whole world knew, that wouldn't be so bad, would it? It's almost 2015, kid. Times are changing. Slowly, but they are. We'd deal with it together, everything would be fine."

Zack attempts to follow his lips as he pulls away, exhaling. "I know. You're right, it's not that big of a deal, I just... we both get enough grief on there as it is. But yeah." A sort of resolve fills his gaze and Dolph smiles lovingly at him. "Together we would be just fine, no matter what." Pressing his forehead to Dolph's, they stare at each other for a few moments. "I still kinda want to kill your brother though."

At this, Dolph laughs and leans in, exploring Zack's mouth with a deep, lengthy kiss. "Fine," he mumbles. "But just wait until after the holidays, kid."


	79. Crunch

"I hate that I'm missing Tribute to the Troops this year," Zack sighs, his good arm thrown over his eyes as he lays on the couch and holds a phone to his ear with his recovering one. One of the best events of the year to be apart of, and of course his arm would keep him from being involved in yet one more thing. "But hey, bro, I'm not sure if you've noticed yet... Rolling Stone's released its end of year list and you were listed as the best wrestler of 2014."

Dolph perks up at this as he leans against a wall leading towards the ring that's being set up, watching various people go back and forth, getting ready for the event that night. "Really? Lemme look." He searches for it on Twitter and blinks, reading and rereading the headline. "Wow," he says into the phone. "I can't say I saw that coming."

"Why not, bro? You deserve it," Zack says honestly. "You were the last man standing to get rid of the Authority, you're the Intercontinental champion, you won multiple slammys..."

"Thanks, kid," he smiles, feeling warm at Zack listing his accolades. He glances over at his phone, his mind working. "I have an idea." It takes awhile to walk from one end of the base to the other, but he does it, stopping to talk to the various soldiers and their families wandering around, letting those interested talk to Zack on facetime. He makes it back to where the event will be taped at, leaning against the wall once more and checking the clock. "We're about to start the show, kid. I'll record what I can for you, and I'll call you as soon as it's over."

Zack smirks, leaning back against the cushions, feeling a little more comfortable after getting to talk to some of the people responsible for keeping the country and its people safe. "Alright, bro. Thanks. Good luck tonight."

"I don't need luck, kid," Dolph says smugly, waiting until Zack laughs softly. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, bro," Zack murmurs, hanging up.

When Dolph returns to New York after Tribute to the Troops concludes, Zack is waiting for him with a grin. "Hey, kid. How are you doing?" he asks, leaning in and kissing him before he drops his luggage by the closet door and wraps his arms around him in a warm hug.

"Good," Zack says, hugging him back.

It takes a minute but Dolph notices he's only using one arm to hug him, pulling away to look up at him with a worried frown. "Kid, is your arm-?"

Realization crosses Zack's face and he quickly pulls his arm out from behind his back, grinning when Dolph looks down to find a bag of miniature Crunch bars dangling from his fingers. "Sorry, just wanted to surprise you with these to celebrate you making Rolling Stone's list, I didn't really think about how that would look. My arm feels about the same. Don't worry."

Dolph rolls his eyes and swats at Zack's good arm before grabbing the candy and going into the living room, Zack joining him a moment later. "I'm not sharing," he decides, smirking as Zack pouts. "Maybe one," he relents when Zack leans against him, eyes fixed pleadingly on him.

"Two?" Zack asks, glancing down at the first candy bar that Dolph unwraps.

Dolph mulls this over. "Maybe, what do I get for it?"

Zack exhales before leaning in and kissing him deeply, curling his fingers around Dolph's jaw and humming into it. "That?" he asks, pulling away slowly and pressing his forehead to Dolph's.

"Keep that up, you can have five," Dolph says dazedly.

"Let's make it ten," Zack suggests, his eyes gleaming as he pushes Dolph back against the couch cushions and settles in for another lengthy kiss.


	80. Garden

Christmas is quiet, lowkey. Neither Zack or Dolph feel like going out, so Zack's parents bring them both plates stacked high with ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, green bean casserole, and rolls, and an even taller stack of gifts. The four of them sit around and eat, discussing WWE and Zack's rehab around large pieces of apple pie and ice cream as the TV drones on from the next room.

By the time the gifts are unwrapped and Zack walks his parents out while Dolph tries to make sense of the pile of paper and ribbon, they're both tired and eager to go to bed, Zack sighing and wrapping an arm around Dolph once the lights are all off and they're comfortable under the blankets. "Been a nice holiday," he murmurs into Dolph's hair.

Dolph nods sleepily. "Yeah, it has been. I don't like having to leave so early tomorrow, but hm. Do you want to come? I know you won't be able to compete, but it is the Garden and I know how you love it there."

Zack breathes in and out for a minute, thinking about it before shaking his head. "No, I'd like to, but it wouldn't be the same without being able to compete, bro. Thanks, though."

"Alright," Dolph says, kissing him. "I'll try not to wake you up when I leave. Good night, kid." He squirms around, fitting more comfortably in Zack's arms before falling asleep.

The next day passes slowly for Zack as he watches weird Christmas movies, which is basically the only thing still on TV, tries a few rehab exercises, and watches Twitter. Dolph tweets here and there, mostly flirty sounding tweets to various people that leaves Zack staring, unimpressed, at his screen until he turns it off and focuses back on the movie for a few minutes before checking his phone and beginning the cycle all over again.

He falls asleep at some point on the couch, hugging a blanket to his chest, and he's not sure how much time has passed when he wakes up to find Dolph kneeling next to him, kissing his recovering shoulder. "Hey, bro," he mumbles, wiping at his eyes and sitting up, the blanket pooling around his waist. "How was the event?"

"Fine," Dolph says quietly. "C'mere, kid." Standing, Dolph holds a hand out, gripping Zack and pulling him up as well.

"Where're we going?" Zack yawns, following him obligingly. Dolph only offers him a quick smile over his shoulder before leading him towards the window where Zack blinks and realizes a table is set up there, a tablecloth gleaming under the faint light coming through the glass pane, plates and glasses waiting for them. "What is this?"

"I figured we should have a quiet meal," Dolph says. "Just the two of us. Since your parents were here all day yesterday, and I wasn't home today, I figured it'd be a good way to spend the night before the holiday tour takes me out of New York. What do you think?"

Zack beams at him. "I like it, bro. What food did you get?"

Dolph grins, lifting up bags from one of the best steak houses in the area, setting out huge containers of food on the table and spooning everything onto their plates. "Steak, roasted potatoes, and green beans." He reaches out and pokes Zack when he makes a face at the container of cheesecake that Dolph unearths a couple minutes later. "I know you want to stay Zacked, and yesterday was your 'cheat day', but I'm declaring today a cheat day too. So just deal, kid."

"Oh fine," Zack mumbles, sitting down and watching as Dolph pulls out a bottle of wine. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously," Dolph says, uncorking it and pouring a decent amount in the glass set in front of Zack's plate. "You're off your painkillers and everything now, so a little bit of this won't hurt, right?"

Zack grimaces but nods, grabbing the glass and letting it breathe for a minute before sipping from it, watching as Dolph finishes pouring his own drink and sits down. "This is nice," he concedes, smiling. "Thanks, bro."

"You're welcome, kid," Dolph grins at him. "I know it bummed you out that you couldn't be involved at the Garden, so I thought maybe this would help a little."

"It does," Zack nods, cutting his steak up. "Hopefully I'll be wrestling at the next Garden event."

Dolph reaches over to grip his hand and squeezes, eyes locked on Zack's grim expression. "I'm sure you will be, kid."

"Thanks." Leaning over, Zack kisses him. "For all of this. For yesterday. For being with me through all of this rehab and everything. I know I haven't been the easiest to live with the last couple of months."

"You've been fine," Dolph says honestly. "I know you've been hurting. At least things are working out and you'll be back at it before you know it."

"Thanks," Zack murmurs with a soft smile, nuzzling against him before turning back to the table, fingers still interlaced with Dolph's as they resume eating.


	81. Accolade

Raw had been a one-two blow for Dolph. Not only had Rusev attacked Dolph, locking him up in the accolade for an extended period of time like he had Zack when Zack's arm had blown apart, Seth had threatened Edge until Cena had given in and brought back the Authority, taking away everything Dolph had accomplished in one night.

Once Dolph's home, Zack sits with him, stroking his hair and listening to him breathe. It's not easy, he knows. The trainer had promised that Dolph's arm was fine, but Zack can't quite bring himself to believe it. Either way, he knows it has to hurt. He continues to stroke and console Dolph as he presses into Zack's side, clearly trying not to lose it emotionally. "It's ok," Zack whispers to him. "It's gonna be ok."

Dolph shakes his head, biting his lip and Zack quiets, not wanting to say the wrong thing and make it all worse. "I hate all of it. Cena, Rusev, The Authority, Seth. Everything. It all sucks. I can't believe how shit everything went in a couple of hours."

Zack kisses his temple and waits until Dolph calms down once more, his mutters fading into distant huffs and exhales. "Bro, can I do something?" he asks. Dolph's barely with it as he nods unhappily, pliant under Zack's arms as he pushes Dolph down onto the couch and starts feeling around his arm, exploring his muscles and shoulder joint. "Tell me if anything hurts."

Dolph closes his eyes and grunts. "The trainer's already done this."

"I know," Zack murmurs. "But I know better than most what an arm injury feels like, and I want to make sure you're ok, that nothing was missed." He presses his fingers into the dip by Dolph's collar bone, listening to Dolph's steady exhales and inhales. "Nothing?"

"It feels sore, but not _pain,_ you know, kid?" Dolph murmurs. "I remember when you explained how it felt for you. This hasn't felt like anything resembling that. I'm going to be fine."

Zack exhales and leans over, pressing kisses that grow in intensity along his shoulder up his neck to his lips, cupping the back of Dolph's head and sighing into his mouth as Dolph clings to him. Finally pulling away reluctantly, Zack nips at his lips before winking at him. "C'mon, let's order something for supper, bro."

"Pizza," Dolph immediately says. "With cheesesticks."

"Again," Zack sighs, relenting when Dolph stares up at him hopefully. "Fine, I'll find the menu."

Dolph watches him go, sitting up from where he's slouched on the couch. "Hey, kid?" Zack turns back towards him in the doorway and Dolph smiles. "I dunno what I'd do without you, you know? Thanks for all of this."

Zack grins. "I love you, bro."

"I love you too," Dolph responds, his heart fluttering- even after all of these years- when Zack's grin grows even more and he disappears into the kitchen. As he settles back comfortably, Dolph rotates his arm and finds that, after Zack's gentle ministrations, it feels better. He smiles.


	82. Thanks Dolph

Rehab is progressing well. It looks likely that Zack will be back in time for the Royal Rumble. His eyes still widen in awe whenever he sees the ring on his finger, lips twitching up into a grin. All in all things are going so well, he's almost forgotten about the Authority being back in control of WWE until he turns on Raw that night to find Cena in the ring and the other competitors surrounding the ring, watching closely.

Zack's laying on his stomach, hugging a pillow and watching as Stephanie places Dolph in a match against Wade Barrett for his Intercontinental title. He grimaces, sitting up to get a better view of the TV. Dolph doesn't seem disturbed by the match and he scrapes out a win against Wade... just for Kane's music to hit. Zack's heart sinks as Kane apologizes and explains that the match is 2 out of 3 falls. Zack can do nothing but watch as Wade then soundly defeats Dolph twice in a row after another appearance from Kane, regaining his Intercontinental title. "Damn," he exhales, aware that Dolph's going to be in a bad mood when he comes home, understandably so.

Zack half-dozes as he listens to the rest of the show, exhausted but trying to make it until the John Cena appreciation ceremony, just curious to see what The Authority has up their sleeves. He doubts they really want to show Cena any kind of respect or appreciation. There's a lot of talking that doesn't interest Zack- or the crowd, for that matter- very much, and he falls back asleep... until he hears a familiar name and looks up to find Dolph on the ramp with Ryback and Rowan. Consequences for their actions are discussed- 30 days for Rowan, 60 for Ryback and Dolph suggests 90... but Zack can't help feeling like that's too easy. He watches, tense and disgusted by all of this, when The Authority leaves the ring and stop up towards the top of the ramp.

After a moment, they announce that all three men are officially fired. Zack feels ill and hugs his pillow tighter as Dolph's plumbstruck face is shown to end the night. As much as Zack's dream has always been wrestling, it was always _more_ for Dolph, somehow. His goal, his inspiration as far back as wrestling in school. Sure, the company had ate at Dolph's love for the business steadily over years, but he'd always stayed, fought through it, found some success that made the bitterness easier to swallow down. Now... it's all gone, taken away by authority figures who were out to be as vicious and evil as possible, and not do what's best for their fans or their roster. Zack suddenly doesn't feel that positive about returning so soon, especially if Dolph's not there, but it is what it is.

Zack finds his phone before returning to the couch, trying to call, to text, anything and everything. Dolph ignores all of it, however, and Zack grimaces, feeling worse and worse as more time goes by without a word from his significant other. When he falls asleep, he's not sure, but he wakes up on the couch to find Dolph kneeling in front of him, staring quietly at him. It's still dark outside so Zack frowns, wondering if maybe he's dreaming. "You're home?" he mumbles sleepily, reaching out and grazing Dolph's arm. His skin is freezing and, when Zack blinks a couple of times, he realizes Dolph is shivering. "Hey, hey, c'mere." Sitting up, he leans forward and pulls Dolph into his arms, holding him. "Why are you so cold? Huh?"

"I flew in," he mumbles. "Got a red eye from Texas to New York, but I... I didn't want to come in yet, so I went for a walk."

"It's January, bro," Zack responds softly, rubbing his arms and trying to share some of his warmth. "In January. What were you thinking, huh?"

"I wasn't," Dolph snaps, trying to struggle free and failing as Zack holds onto him tighter. "It's hard to think about anything when you had the world in the palm of your hand one minute and the next, you've lost your title and been fired." Succeeding this time at pulling away, he stares angrily at Zack. "You might as well just get it over with and leave me too. Who'd want to be engaged to some loser without a job, anyway?"

Zack gapes at him in disbelief before gripping his face, staring deep into his pained blue eyes. "You're not a loser. The Authority took your title_ and_ your job, none of it was your fault."

"I purposely went against them, what the hell did I honestly think was going to happen?" Dolph demands. "That they'd pat me on the head and give me a raise? Please." He shakes his head and pushes Zack away, getting back to his feet and turning away.

Zack cringes at the pressure on his arm, which is still a little tender, especially after laying at an awkward angle on the couch, but he shakes it off and gets up, needing to figure out some way to get through to his fiance. "Come on, bro. You thought they were gone, we all did. No one foresaw what was gonna happen last week with Edge."

He rests a hand on Dolph's shoulder, trying to stop him, but then Dolph spins around and slaps his hand away, sending his arm aside in an awkward angle. It registers as soon as he does it that it was Zack's still healing arm and he immediately blanches, rushing forward. "Kid, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Zack presses his good hand to Dolph's chest and exhales, inhales as evenly as he could, eyes closed as he digs his fingers into his shoulder, trying to document the discomfort, seeing if it was just from moving in a direction he was unaccustomed to or if it was actual pain. As he stretches his arm out a moment later, feeling the range of motion that had become normal for him lately, he sighs slowly and opens his eyes. "I'm fine," he says faintly. "My arm's fine, I just haven't moved it like that since my injury. Don't worry."

Dolph sags down, resting his hand on Zack's against his chest. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm just so pissed off. Things shouldn't be like this." Lifting Zack's hand, he kisses his knuckles, staring down at the ring. "Nothing like this."

Zack pulls Dolph closer and brushes his hair with his fingers. "We'll work it out," he promises. "I'll be done with rehab soon, and I'll be back to work, so money will be a little tight but not awful. It'll work out. I promise."

"I'm not taking your paycheck while I figure things out," Dolph sighs. "I have savings, and I wouldn't want to keep you from your toys collection." He smiles as Zack rolls his eyes, leaning up to kiss him. "Besides, maybe a miracle will happen and The Authority will bring us back." This doesn't seem to thrill him either and Zack hugs him tighter, still displeased with how cold he feels. "C'mon, let's go to bed, kid. I'm sure it'll feel better to you than that couch."

"You know it, bro," Zack says with a small smile, letting Dolph lead the way. He sinks into the blankets and rolls over, hugging Dolph tightly. "We're gonna be fine, bro."

Dolph stares at the wall for a moment before twisting around and burying his face into Zack's chest, listening to his heart beating steadily. "I almost believe you," he whispers. "Thanks, kid, for always having my back."

"That's what people who're about to be married do, right?" Zack asks with a soft laugh, looking down at his ring as it gleams in the faint light coming from the drapes.

"Right," Dolph murmurs, thankfully already dozing off now that he's warm and comfortable. "I love you."

"I love you too," Zack whispers to him, kissing Dolph's forehead and closing his eyes.


	83. Return to the Ring

"Alright," Matt Bloom says, clapping his hands together. "We're gonna go slow since it's your first time back in the ring, Zack." He watches from the floor as Jason Jordan walks forward, immediately locking up with Zack.

It's a simple exercise, lock up, throw into the ropes, rebound, shoulder check. One of the first chains you learn, but Zack is still wary of doing it for the first time, not sure how his arm's going to hold up. Either way, he doesn't want to disappoint the familiar blue eyes watching him from the seats past the security barricade so he kicks off, grabs Jason and tries to fight him back. He holds his breath, going with the motions as he hits the ropes, rebounds, checks Jason to the ground. They do this a couple of times and though it hurts at first, his arm holds, reacquainting itself to the motion, the impacts, everything that comes with giving and taking the wrestling moves.

Eventually Matt calls it and Jason slips out of the ring after nodding and clapping Zack on his good arm, barely breaking a sweat. He looks so confident and able that for a brief minute Zack hates him. He's distracted, however, when the ring gives upon a new entrant and Zack stares across at Mojo Rawley, frowning as the man hops around, looking like he has so much energy he may explode._ This guy,_ he thinks dismissively. They shift the order around a bit, adding a couple of things just to see how far Zack's endurance can go, and it's harder to achieve than the earlier, easy set of moves, but Mojo guides him through it, his energy easing back a bit when Zack struggles to pop a hiptoss, his face reddening with annoyance.

"It's ok, playboy, I gotcha," Mojo chirps in his ear and, although it's annoying for Zack to be treated with kids gloves by a _rookie_ like this, there's something almost comforting about it and, the next time they go through the moves, Zack hits it with only a little hesitation and Mojo bounds back up, face lit up like it's his accomplishment too. "See, told you you'd get it!"

Zack grins at him without thinking before Matt yells at them and they fall back into it, Zack exhaling softly once it's done and Mojo rolls out, seeming about as unaffected by it all as Jason Jordan was, but Zack's ok with that. He'd managed the chain wrestling just fine. It's a start.

He's just caught his breath, downing some water, when the ring shifts again and he looks up ti find Dolph smirking at him. He raises his eyebrows at Dolph and screws the lid back on the bottle before approaching him, a little bit surprised that Matt allowed this without yelling at them both. "What's up, bro?"

It's not that much of a surprise when Dolph grabs at him, snapping a headlock on him before he can react and Zack rolls his eyes, hitting against Dolph's side but then grounding himself and whipping Dolph away, before taking his shouldercheck and bumping. When Dolph leans over to try to get an armbar on him, Zack squirms away and sweeps his legs out from under him, rolling over and trapping him in an armlock, wrenching back as best as he can from this awkward position. Dolph huffs, trying to fight back, just for Zack to put even more weight on the move, Dolph having no choice but to tap after squirming desperately gets him nowhere, there being no referee around to help even when he hit the ropes.

Afterwards, they lay side by side in the middle of the ring, listening to each other breathing. "I'm proud of you, kid," Dolph offers, aware that they'll have to move soon to not hold up the next class, scheduled time for Zack's first ring session rapidly running out.

"Thanks," Zack murmurs. "And thanks for coming." He knows it can't have been easy, especially with how Dolph's week has been going between being fired and everything else. He's just started to frown, thinking about it all, when Dolph rolls over and lightly kisses him. Zack sighs against his lips before humming.

"I'd do anything for you, kid," Dolph murmurs, kissing him once more before rolling off and standing up, offering a hand to Zack.

As they leave the ring together, Matt Bloom nods distractedly at them, already preparing for his next class, and Zack grins, that old enjoyment of competition digging under his flesh yet again, reminding him part of why he does this. His pleasure abates slightly as he peeks over at Dolph, hoping that soon enough, Dolph can re-claim his own passion for the business as well.


	84. Change of Heart

The apartment is dark, quiet. The only noise or light is coming from muffled dialogue from the TV across the room, Dolph barely paying it any mind as he watches Zack sleep. He looks so sweet while lost in rest, his eyelashes fluttering a little here and there, his lips parted as he breathes in and out. Their fingers are entangled and Dolph can barely believe how lucky he is to be here, after everything he's put Zack through over the years. But his luck had come to a crashing halt when he'd gotten fired, and now... now. Well.

Zack had said all of the right things, of course. That they'd be fine, that things would be tight for awhile, but that they'd make it. _You deserve better,_ Dolph thinks, staring into his peaceful face. _You deserve all of the things that I can't afford to give you... you deserve someone who doesn't flirt all of the time, you deserve someone with the means and financial comfortability to give you the wedding you deserve._ His fingers rest against the cool band of the engagement ring entrapping Zack's finger and Dolph's eyes slip closed. _You deserve better than me._ He can't watch as he slips the ring off of Zack's knuckle, but then he hits some sort of a barricade and peeks just to find that Zack's curled his finger, stopping the ring from being pulled away.

"What the hell, bro?" Zack mumbles sleepily, turning to look at him incredulously. He pushes him away and puts the ring back where it belongs, frowning tiredly. "Are you stealing my ring, bro? Why?" He sounds teasing at first until Dolph's silence betrays him and Zack immediately sits up, his exhaustion quickly disappearing. _"Bro. _What the _hell_ did you think you're doing?"

"I can't do this," Dolph sighs. "When I proposed to you, I was still a wrestler, I had prospects, I had... an income, now it's just... everything's messed up, and I refuse to put you in a situation where-" He's immediately shut up by Zack's hand, dark eyes glaring into his face with a sleepy kind of intensity that's as endearing as it is sobering. Equally as distressing is the cool metal biting into Dolph's skin, Zack's ring shaming him even further for what he had been trying to do.

"Shut _up_," Zack sighs. "Bro, come on. When you proposed, I hadn't been back in the ring yet and I wasn't fully sure my arm was going to be healed enough sufficiently that surgery wasn't going to be needed. We both have problems, and you never gave up on me despite that, so why would I give up on you?" He yawns and tugs Dolph closer, nuzzling into his neck. "You're stuck with me, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, no matter what comes."

Dolph tries to talk but Zack's hand is still there and the best he manages is a vague mumble, groaning as Zack wraps his free arm around him and presses his chest against Dolph's back, kissing his shoulder.

"I'll let you speak again," Zack promises him, breathing against his arm, "but you have to promise you're never going to try to take my ring off of my finger like that again. Ok, bro?" Dolph bites down a sob before nodding, struggling to promise through Zack's fingers, his blue eyes peering blankly at the wall across from them as Zack slowly eases his hand away. "Repeat that," Zack whispers, kissing his shoulder once more.

"I promise," Dolph exhales, closing his eyes and leaning back against Zack as he continues to work him over with kisses and soft scrapes of his teeth, soothing him with his tongue afterwards. Dolph's breathing starts to sound a little funny and Zack turns him around so they're face to face, cupping his face and kissing him carefully. "Thanks, kid," he mumbles, eyes shining suspiciously in the faint light from the TV.

Zack grins at him before easing him down against the pillows, moving to continue kissing him. "Any time, bro."


	85. Waiting

A week after Dolph's firing, Zack decides to take it easy. He's doing well with his in-ring training, so it's easy enough to convince himself that _one_ night won't kill him. Besides, Dolph needs him. He orders pizza, getting all of Dolph's favorite toppings, sides and dips, before settling down next to him on the couch. When Dolph squirms over and lays his head in Zack's lap, Zack grins and starts to run his fingers through Dolph's hair until he hums and shifts, dozing off.

It's unfortunate on a number of levels when the pizza arrives, the guy banging so loudly on the door that it startles even Zack, Dolph almost falling clear off of the couch if not for Zack's hand on his shoulder. "It's ok," he soothes him. "I just ordered food. Sorry." Cursing to himself for the guy ruining Dolph's much needed rest, he goes to the door and if he tips the guy a dollar less than he initially planned, oh well. He's tempted to check his door for damage but refrains, pushing it shut and locking it behind him before bringing the food to Dolph.

His eyes light up when he sees the large pizza, moz sticks and marinara sauce. "Thanks, kid," he says, already digging in to the food and grinning cheerfully when Zack sits back down next to him and scoops out a slice of his own. "I love you."

"Love you too, bro," Zack responds, swallowing down another bite of cheesy, meaty goodness. "So what are you doing tonight?" he asks carefully, knowing what he's doing but not wanting to impose it on Dolph in case things are still too painful for him.

"Watching OSU," Dolph says simply, his tone telling Zack all he needs to know.

"Ok, bro. Well, I'm gonna watch TV in the bedroom tonight." Leaning over, Zack grabs another slice of pizza before shifting over and kissing Dolph. They stay there, eating and quietly watching Seinfeld on TV until closer to 7 when Zack escapes into the bedroom and turns the USA Network on, watching Raw. Nothing much happens that catches his eye, he spends most of it tweeting on his phone or playing mindless app games.

By the time Raw ends, Dolph's football game is still lingering on so Zack only slips into the living room long enough to sneak another couple of kisses before going to get ready for bed, his eyes slipping shut even while he stands at the mirror, brushing his teeth. "Gah," he yawns, staring at himself. Getting back into the ring had exhausted him, not to mention trying to be there for Dolph during some sleepness nights following his being fired. As soon as he kicks his jeans off and sinks into bed, Zack falls asleep almost as soon as he hits the pillow.

When OSU finally wins, Dolph gets up and shuts the TV off, slipping into the bedroom. The lights are still on, but Zack is conked out so thoroughly that he doesn't even shift when Dolph lays down next to him after getting ready for bed and shutting the lamps off. Chuckling fondly, Dolph leans in and kisses him, watching as he sighs and sinks further into his pillows, looking more comfortable now that Dolph's close again. "G'night, kid."


End file.
